


Bound in Blood

by sushiloveswhitlock



Category: Twilight
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Bloodplay, F/M, Gore, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-06-13
Updated: 2012-07-19
Packaged: 2017-11-07 15:17:33
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 32
Words: 180,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/432570
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sushiloveswhitlock/pseuds/sushiloveswhitlock
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jasper is no longer held back by Forks and its memories. One night he's teamed with a mysterious woman clad in black and the world as he knows it changes dramatically.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was my first attempt at writing and I have gone to the dark side. It was originally submitted for the Afraid of the Dark OS Contest but the story was so fun to write that Bella and Jasper wanted to tell me more about their adventures. I want to thank my wifey and partner in crime, DarkNnerdy. Thank you so much for not only being my pre-reader but inspiring me. This story is dedicated to you. This grasshopper bows down to you Unagi Sensei. 
> 
> My other pre-readers JaspersBella and SparklingFae thank you so much for your support and for offering to read this. And my beta, Mynxi, from one beta to another, you rock!
> 
> This story is now a completed work. It was pulled recently from FFn so it will be reposted here. To see it's entirety, you can go onto TwiWrite or PM me and request a PDF. 
> 
> Disclaimer: SM owns it all.
> 
>  
> 
> Rec'd by:
> 
> Jasper Darlin's Totally Random Recs -   
> http://jaspersdarlins.blogspot.com/2011/08/totally-random-recs.html
> 
> TwiMuses -   
> http://www.twimuses.com/2011/08/pimp-fic-bound-in-blood-sushibrat.html

 

_Songs -_

_Meet Your Master - Nine Inch Nails_

_Fuck Me Like You Hate Me - Seether_

 

_**JPOV** _

__

I stepped out into the cool desert night. It was pretty quiet except for the occasional sound of my boots as they hit the ground. My destination was ahead of me; the white villa that practically glowed under the moonlight. I pulled my jacket up around my face; no need to have my skin reflect like a beacon of danger around me. I reached the outer stucco covered wall and my brain immediately calculated that it was an easy 10 foot scale. Piece of fuckin’ cake but I also needed to make sure there wasn’t any type of surveillance around. Quickly runnin’ the perimeter I saw no humans and leaped. As I crouched on top of the wall, I surveyed the area and quickly and methodically rewired the cameras and laser detection system so it would still appear to be working but really they weren't. James Bond had nuthin’ on my ass. The armed guards that I saw from the recon photos earlier this evening weren’t around but that didn’t mean they wouldn’t be. I was ready for anything.

 

I landed onto the property as quiet as I could. If humans were nearby, my landing would have sounded like a small animal to them and therefore, not a danger. I chucked to myself thinkin’, “if they only knew.” My partner was supposed to be here shortly. I had no idea who it would be only that it was a “she” and she wasn’t freelancin' like I was; she was actually on official assignment. Also, she was new at this. Shit, a newbie, I hope she didn’t get in my way as I worked. I knew she would be studyin' my dossier beforehand, so I hoped I didn’t have to babysit her ass. I looked around and let my senses take over. I could smell the ocean a few miles to the west and it was mixed with a heady scent of the jasmine plants that had been warmed by the sunlight earlier. Crickets chirped into the night and some random human noises coming from the villa ahead indicated that nobody was aware of me or my partner; whoever she was.

 

I ran another perimeter on the inside of the property to make sure I got all the security equipment under wraps before scaling the buildin' and onto the roof. As I climbed up, I quickly thought back to my former family and how fuckin' glad I was to have left that life. All those years of making a mockery of bein' a vampire had taken their toll and I was done. All the mistrust they had of me and their lack of faith was more than I could take. I remembered the day I took my hat, my boots, flicked my Zippo and walked the fuck away. I headed back to the south and visited with my brother Peter and his mate Charlotte. They welcomed me and never once made any judgments.

 

I laid down on the roof and stared at the stars for a bit as I recalled how good it felt to be back on the human diet. I adapted Peter and Char’s method of only going for criminals and other not-so innocent folk. I remembered feeling like a man who was stuck in the desert and finally gettin' water when I sank my teeth on my first human after such a long fuckin’ abstinence. Animal blood; though sated some of my thirst just wasn’t the same.

 

It was just then that I heard it; what sounded like an animal landing on its feet but I knew it wasn’t. She was here; the show was about to start.

 

“Whitlock, you there?” her voice whispered into the night air; much too quiet for humans to hear.

 

“Up on the roof, darlin’,” I echoed my reply.

 

“Alright. I’m heading in from the ground and you go in from the top.”

 

“Sounds good to me.” I stood up and scaled down the side of the building and used my nail to cut into the window pane below me so I could climb in stealthily.

 

As I entered the room, I smelled it immediately. The scent of freshly spilled blood coming from the floors below. I ghosted down; not wanting to miss out on this. My venom started to pool and as I hurried down the stairs, I stopped dead.

 

There was a body on the floor with its blood flowin’ freely onto the travertine tiles. He wasn’t dead but he was definitely unconscious. There were humans alive huddled in a corner but they seemed frozen in fear so I ignored them, for now.

 

_What the fuck was goin’ on?_

__

Her back was turned to me with her regulatory cloak neatly folded on a small table near the front door. From my view, I could tell she had a rockin’ bod especially with her tight black outfit. I could see her back and the curve of her hips. Her hair was in a neat braid down her back and I wanted to see more. Her scent was floral but also somethin' else; somethin' more alluring...was that the scent of amber warmed by the fire as well? It was an intoxicatin' elixir and mixed with the blood that was spilled onto the floor, I wanted more. Much more.

 

“Nice of you to join, Whitlock,” she said with a pleasant but teasin’ lilt to her voice; her back still turned to me.

 

Her voice had a familiar air to it but I couldn’t place who it was.

 

“Ma’am,” I replied as I walked slowly towards the scene.

 

The air was thick with fear and apprehension. I tried to feel out what this girl, no woman, was feelin’ but it was faint as though she was encased in thick glass or something.

 

_The hell?_

__

I reached her side after what seemed like hours of walkin'. Somethin’ shifted in me and I once again felt like that man in the desert. Only this time, it wasn’t blood I needed; it was her and I knew at that point, she had me. But what if she didn’t want me?

 

She was wearing a black beanie that she had pulled a little low tight against her face but I could still tell she was fuckin’ beautiful. She turned towards me and if I were still alive, I would have fallen dead right fuckin’ there.

 

_Bella fuckin’ Swan._

__

Bella Swan was a vampire and a member of the fuckin’ Volturi? When did this happen? How? And with ruby red eyes too. Fuck. She was beautiful when I knew her back then, but now... Fuck me.

 

“J-Jasper?! You’re THAT Whitlock? I mean, you’re him?” She looked up at me, wide-eyed in shock and I could feel more feelings emanatin’ from her; a little stronger but still muted. Shock. Confusion. Awe and lust.

 

_Awe and lust? Fuck yeah, Whitlock!_

__

“The one and only, ma’am,” I chuckled, pretendin' to tip an imaginary cowboy hat.

 

Bella shut her eyes and shook her head as though she was clearin’ out some cobwebs in her head. I had so many questions for her, but I knew right now wasn’t the time or the place.

 

“Right.” She opened her eyes and her demeanor shifted. It was like she was feelin’ the same thing I was. We needed to talk but there was time and place for that and right now wasn’t it.

 

“So this guy.” She pointed to the man bleeding on the floor. “He’s one of their runners. The group there, is the drug lord in the gold colored robes along with him are his bodyguards. The staff had been evacuated earlier per the directive and we’ve got a group tailing his other family members. They’ll be watched closely.”

 

I nodded as I tried to focus back to the work at hand. I was glad that she had followed the directions and not tried to make this a rogue mission like my previous partner had. He had put us into a precarious situation where I had no choice but to destroy him. I was afraid that my freelancin’ days were over after that but I was glad that they called a few days later with this job.

 

I looked up at the group that was in the corner. The smell of sweat and piss started to fill the air fuelin’ me to send a little more fear at them. This wasn’t the first time I had been asked to destroy a drug cartel. Our vampire leaders wanted in on this knowin’ that it would give us more feedin’ opportunities. When one of these humans got greedy though, it was time for me to step in and clean things up. Sure it was a little nefarious because I wasn’t stoppin’ this drug war; I was just usin’ it to my advantage. Drugs were gonna be a part of humanity regardless. So long as innocent children weren’t involved, and I knew our vampire leaders were against that, I was gonna get my piece of the proverbial pie.

 

“He is El Tigre, Bella?” I asked her; my eyes going back to looking at her.

 

She had curves I wanted to lay my hands on and her legs were so long. For decades, I had nothin’ but that boyish body of a wife; that controllin’ pixie bitch, to look at. This, her in front of me was a sight for my sore dead eyes.

 

“Yep, and please, Jasper, I go by Isabella these days.” She answered with laughter in her eyes; eyes that I knew I could get lost in and never come out and I really didn’t fuckin’ care.

 

_Right, focus._

__

I walked over to the group of men, steppin’ over the unconscious man and his pool of blood but stopped. I couldn’t reach them. Something was keepin’ me from them. Somethin’ or someone.

 

“Isabella?” I turned around and looked at her in obvious confusion.

 

“Oh yeah. Oops, sorry,” she answered and gave a nervous giggle.

 

All of a sudden whatever the fuck that was blockin’ me from the men was lifted and in a blink of an eye, I had the man known as El Tigre by the scruff of his fuckin’ neck. I dragged the man over the pool of red as I headed back to Isabella causin’ the group of men to cry out in fear. I could feel my eyes gettin' dark as I inhaled their fear and sent it back to them. I loved this shit and couldn’t wait until I got my hands on them.

 

_Patience, you’ll get your chance._

__

I dropped El Tigre in front of Isabella’s feet and waited for the interrogation to come. It was my job to make sure the Volturi representative had all the answers before we did away with the scum. I sent El Tigre some trust as well as some fear so that he would talk.

 

I watched as Isabella grabbed that piece of shit human and lifted him off his feet. Her eyes had darkened just a little now and I could see that she was lookin’ forward as much as I was to this. I watched as she ran her hand down his chest as a lover would and I sent more trust to El Tigre as we both seemed to lull him into this false sense of security. Isabella was startin’ to mesmerize me just as she was mesmerizin’ El Tigre. Her movements were graceful and like a siren, I was so fuckin’ quickly drawn into her.

 

“So, El Tigre, what is this about using children as mules to carry your shit across the border?” Isabella asked; her voice carried a slightly husky tone and I knew she was usin’ her feminine wiles to get her information. I made sure to send another stream of trust to the man and at the same time. I wished she was caressin’ me and whisperin’ to me instead of to him.

 

The asshole didn’t talk at first but he was clearly entranced by her. She was good at dazzlin’ him. She asked again, this time in Spanish and he responded. He explained that it was easier to ply the local village kids to do his biddin’ because all he’d have to do was threaten to harm their parents. Sometimes, he’d actually send one of his more muscular guards over to their house just to play the heavy henchman but more often than not, a threat was all that was needed. He was fuckin’ scum and he was fuckin’ proud of it too.

 

I watched as she asked him about the types of drugs he trafficked and he rattled off cocaine, heroin and ecstasy as though it was a grocery list. I searched his feelings and found no guilt. Zero. He was scum and he was gonna die.

 

When she was done, I saw her bring him to her closer in a lover’s embrace as though she was gonna kiss him, she bit down and drank a couple pulls before unlatching herself. She turned to me and grinned; her smile tinged in crimson and I was hungry. For blood, for her.

 

“Share with me?” She held him out as blood spurted out and splashed onto her. Not wantin' to waste too much, I quickly went over and grabbed the man before latching down on the same sweet spot as her mouth had been. I had never done this and it was hotter than fuck. I could taste her venom as I pulled the blood in. It was definitely flowers like lavender and amber along with somethin' like brandy? Fuck. I stared at her as I continued to pull and could see need reflectin' in her eyes. I was sure mine were the same; pitch black with hunger and want. I unlatched after a couple pulls and passed the man back to her like we were humans sharing a bottle of somethin’ after a ball game. This went on a couple more times as together we drained the man. We both had the man’s blood on us and I had the sudden urge to lick it off of her.

 

“Now, we can have some fun.” She looked at me with a devious grin that had my jeans feelin’ very tight. “Oh and to answer your questioning look earlier, I am a shield and I used it on them which is why you were blocked. I was also shielding myself but in a different way.”

 

I made a mental note to talk her later about her shield. It sounded fascinatin’ that she could shield not only others but herself as well, and simultaneously it seemed.

 

I decided to just follow her actions after seein’ that look in her eyes. She had a plan and I wanted to be a part of it; however little it was. I didn’t want to think about what would happen later; I was just livin’ for the now, at least, that was what I kept tellin’ myself.

 

“On my count, send them as much fucking fear as you can, Whitlock.”

 

I swear on everything fuckin’ unholy, my jeans were gonna split the fuck open when she said that. I bit back a growl. I wanted so fuckin’ badly to rip her clothes off and plunge into her; fuckin’ her until she screamed my name out. I wanted to feel her nails on my back, clawin’ me. I wanted to feel her walls clench on my hard cock and more importantly, I wanted to sink my teeth in her as I came. I wanted to make her mine and a part of me wanted her to want the same of me. She was bringin’ out a part of me that I didn’t think ever existed or would ever exist. I thought I had it once but it was laced with nothin’ but falsehoods and deception.

 

The snappin’ of her fingers in front of my face brought me out of my stupor.

 

“You still with me, Whitlock?”

 

Again, laughter in her eyes and voice but I also felt confusion and want in her feelings as well.

 

“Sorry, darlin’, just got a little lost in thought,” I replied sheepishly.

 

She placed her hand on my chest and I felt a strange warmth comin’ off of her touch. She must have felt it too as I watched her brows wrinkle in confusion. There would be time for talk later I reminded myself; work now, talk later.

 

It was my turn to shake clear my thoughts and I sent the group a large dose of fear. Whimperin’, tears, and the acrid smell of human waste filled the air and I watched as Isabella flitted over to one of the men and ran her nail down his neck and blood shot out from the wound. She ran her tongue along the cut and I froze watchin’ as the predator in her played with her meal. I was caught up in her and felt the predator within me awaken. The men watched all of this and there were screams of fear and the word “demon” slipped from their mouths. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw one of the guards try to run. I grabbed him by his hair and whipped his head back so he was starin’ at me; his eyes full of nuthin’ but fear.

 

“Where do ya think you’re goin’?” I drawled out; a deadly smile on my face as the man started blubberin' and beggin' for his life.

 

I wanted to just drain him but at the same time, seein’ what Isabella had done, spurred me on. I bit down and tore the man’s neck, opening up a huge gash and blood gushed out rainin' on me and the wall behind us. I could feel the blood all over me; on my hair, my body and my clothes. Normally, I would just drain, burn, and then run, but this was pure carnal pleasure. I wanted badly to share this with Isabella. I turned around with the body still grasped in my arms and saw her just as bloody. Our eyes locked and I couldn’t suppress the growl that was building from my chest.

 

Fuck, she was beautiful. Her black outfit was soakin’ in blood, it was streaked along her cheek. Her eyes were black and she continued to drag her nail, slicin’ into her meal and lappin’ up the blood like a hungry kitten. I could hear a growl comin’ out of her chest as she continued her fun. She slapped the man a few times before slicin' his cheek and lickin' up her reward. She clawed into his chest and blood splattered onto her as she laughed. She tore into the man’s thigh and was rewarded with blood spattering from the severed femoral artery. Even though I couldn’t feel all her emotions, I could tell she was full of need as her eyes barely left mine. Fuck, I could even smell her arousal and desire through the blood.

 

I tore another piece of flesh off the man and drank some before rippin' open his chest and grabbing his still beatin’ heart in my hand and squeezed until it exploded. More blood sprayed on me and dripped onto the floor. I bathed in his blood before he was empty. The other men were now huddled close together as I unleashed more fear into them. Their screams and pleas for mercy did nothing but fuel that side of me that I had once so long ago had to suppress because of them and I laughed.

 

Movin' to the drug runner that had been laying in his pool of blood when I first entered the room, I lifted him up. He was startin' to awaken from his faintin’ spell. I sent him a strong dose of fear and watched as his eyes widened and he practically frothed at the mouth in panic. I walked with him over to Isabella as she tossed her drained body against the wall leaving a hole before landing awkwardly onto the floor below. She gave me a smirk as I offered him to her. As she took him from me, she purposely touched me and again left warmth on me.

 

“Together.”

 

That was all she said but there was more to it than just the meal. At least, a part of me hoped there was. I didn’t really know what to make of it as we both sliced into the man and lapped him up; our eyes never leavin' each other. Even back in my early days during the wars, when blood ran freely all the time, I never felt this way. Sure I indulged and bathed in blood with lovers but this was different. It felt different. Now wasn’t a time to question it and I hoped whatever this was; well, I hoped she felt it too.

 

We weren’t neat and it didn’t matter. Blood was on us, on the floor and decorated the walls. The room that was once swathed in beige was now stained crimson. A total of six bodies were drained in all. For our last victim, we sliced into his neck and just allowed the blood to shower on us. No words had been spoken since she said “together” and no words were needed either. Pure fuckin' carnal pleasure and she was enjoyin’ it as much as I was. As we threw our last toy onto the pile, the air suddenly became heavy with a sort of buzzin’ between us. There we were both looking at each other breathin’ hard. Had we been human, you’d think we had just run a marathon or somethin’.

 

Isabella moved in front of me and put her hands on my chest. Still no words were needed, hell, I didn’t need to use my gift to see the need on her eyes and I knew mine reflected the same thing. Our lips crashed against each other and an onrush of feelings flooded into my system as she had apparently dropped her shield. I pulled her closer to me as our tongues fought for dominance. I tasted the blood from our meals on her and growled into her mouth.

 

She answered by grabbin' onto my hair and tuggin' hard. Blood and her desire enveloped me and I ran my hands down her ribs before liftin’ her up and close to me. Her legs wrapped around my waist immediately and I grabbed that damn thing coverin' her head and yanked it off of her before releasing her hair from the braid. She was beyond intoxicatin' and I was gettin’ drunk off of her. I released her lips from our kiss and trailed my tongue along her jaw tastin’ her skin and the blood on her. She whimpered and bucked against me and I could feel her wetness through our clothin' as my hard cock pressed up against her. Isabella tilted my head slightly as I continued lickin’ and nippin’ at her. Then I felt it. Her fuckin’ tongue ran along my jaw just as I had done hers and I was nearly undone.

 

I grabbed her top and shredded it off of her as we fell and crashed onto the floor. Our legs were nuthin’ but a tangled mess as our hands grabbed, caressed, and explored each other.

 

“Fuck, Isabella! You’re so fuckin’ beautiful,” I growled out as I continued lickin’ her body.

 

Her skin had a slight crimson tinge to it as the blood had soaked through to her skin. Her breasts were glorious. I caressed her skin while I licked a trail in between them and watched as her nipples pebbled under my touch. I moved from one peak to the other and licked and sucked on them as she writhed under me. Her whimpers were hot as fuck as I continued trailing my tongue down her torso.

 

“Jasper, fuck! This feels so good,” her voice was breathless but full of need as she rolled her hips against me.

 

When I reached her pants, I looked up at her as though to ask.

 

“Please, don’t fucking stop!” she panted out and I could feel her emotions: lust, desire, want, need, affection.

 

I could see it in her eyes as she gazed into mine before I dipped down and grabbed her waistband with my teeth and tore her pants off. I could tell she liked it because her wetness flooded my nose in response. If I thought she was beautiful before, she was a fuckin’ goddess in all her glory. I trailed my nose down to her hips and continued licking her skin. I wanted to taste each and every inch of her; to sate that hunger within me. With a smirk, I moved down to her thighs knowin’ where she had wanted me to go but I wasn’t ready to; not yet.

 

I licked down one leg before going up to the other. By the time I was done, Isabella was dripping with desire and was nuthin’ more than a writhin’ mess but she was enjoyin’ it as much as I was. Her hands clawed into the pool of blood and her head shook from side to side. I moved her legs apart so I could settle between them and looked at her once more.

 

“Look at me, Isabella,” I murmured as I blew my breath along her center.

 

She sat up slightly and propped herself on her elbows so she could watch. I slowly licked her inner thigh lappin’ up her juices. I took a finger and ran a trail along her slit.

 

“Fuck, you’re so wet,” my voice was gruff.

 

I slowly pushed my finger into her and watched as her hips bucked up in response. She was beyond fuckin’ glorious as she laid there in a pool of blood. I pulled my finger out and added another finger before holdin' her hips down and tastin' her. She was incredible and the added bonus of the blood surroundin’ us made things just fuckin’ sweeter. I teased her clit with my tongue as I continued workin’ my fingers in her. Her back was arched and her head was thrown back as though in a silent scream. I needed more and worked my way back up her body and kissed her hard.

 

She moaned in my mouth as she tasted herself on me. I was so fuckin’ hard and ground onto her hip earnin’ a moan from her lips. She flipped us both over and pushed herself off of me smirking.

 

“My turn, Whitlock”

 

Blood was dripping from her hair leaving trails of crimson on me as she licked my torso just as I had licked hers. She was relentless and who was I to deny this goddess on me? I felt her lickin' over scars that littered my body. Nobody had ever done that and I knew I was done for. No matter what happened, this woman had me and there was no denyin’ that.

 

When she reached my jeans she sat back on her heels and I watched as she grabbed the front belt loops and just pulled. She fuckin’ ripped my jeans off of me, but she left my fuckin boots on. Oh fuck, this was better than any fantasy I could imagine. I had no idea how I was gonna get out of this place afterwards but right now, I didn’t fuckin’ care. I especially didn’t care as I felt her tongue run along the length of my cock before she stopped.

 

“Look at me, Whitlock,” she ordered. She fuckin’ ordered me with a smirk and I was beyond turned on. I wanted nuthin’ more than to fuck her right now but I wanted, no needed to see what was runnin’ through that devious mind of hers.

 

I looked at her and she laid her hands on my chest as she lifted up and hovered over me. Her thighs gripped against mine and I was so fuckin’ lost. The blood that was on her hair was leaving scarlet rivulets down her tits and thighs down to my body. She slowly eased my hard cock into her.

 

I lifted my head only to smash it back onto the stone floor as her tight pussy gripped me. I rocked my hips up to meet hers and placed my bloodied hands onto her creamy white hips grippin' her and liftin' her up.

 

“Fuck, Isabella, you’re so fuckin’ tight and wet,” I gritted out as she responded by slamming back down on me.

 

Our growls filled the air as we sated ourselves. The room was filled with a scent of blood and our desire. I flipped her over felt her nails diggin' into my back as I continued thrustin’ into her. It was better than I had fuckin’ imagined it. Currently, I had her on her knees as I grabbed onto her hips and ploughed into her. I couldn’t help but think that she felt like fuckin’ home to me. I felt her walls tightenin’ around me as I continued. I was close and I could tell she was too. Fuck, she was incredible and I tried not to think of the aftermath as I reached and wrapped her hair around my fist.

 

“Come for me, Isabella!” I ground out. I watched as she reached down and started playing with her clit, and occasionally her fingers would brush up against my hardened cock. Fuck, seeing that was my undoin’. I released her hair and grabbed onto her hips as I plunged hard and roared out my release. She screamed my name as I felt her walls tighten and she exploded milkin' my cock for all it was worth. I collapsed on top of her as we both panted unnecessarily.

 

We laid there for a while in silence. She traced nonsensical patterns on my chest using the dryin' blood as paint. I absentmindedly played with a strand of her hair before she sat up and reached her hand out to me. I quickly assessed her emotions and felt affection, curiosity and satisfaction. It shocked me a little that she would feel the same but at the same time, an inner part of me was glad that she felt more than just the lust from earlier.

 

“Come on, let’s get cleaned up and get the fuck out of here. I am sure you have questions and I know I do so let’s get this job over with and we can talk.”

 

“Yes ma’am!” I got up and took her hand. We were burnin' the place down later so the blood trail we were leavin’ wasn’t a big deal as we headed up the stairs to clean ourselves and raid the closets for clothes since ours were shredded beyond all recognition. We had another passion filled session while in the shower before we got back into work mode.

 

I opened the front door to see the duffel bag that Isabella must have dropped off before she headed inside. Inside were C4 devices that the Volturi liked to use for covering up these jobs. To make sure human authorities were thoroughly misled, I made sure the crime scene looked like a typical drug war between cartels. I grabbed the bag and brought it in. I used some specially made bullets that had been a rival mob signature and I quickly shot the bodies a few times. I then grabbed the bundles of drugs and planted them around the house and outside the perimeter before settin' the timer for the bombs. I turned to see where Isabella had gone and she had just finished putting her Volturi cloak on and was watchin’ me with rapt fascination. I winked at her as I set the last of the devices and reached for her hand.

 

“Where did you learn all that, Whitlock?” she asked laughing as she took my hand and we headed towards the outer wall.

 

“I’ve had some practice.” I shrugged as we reached the wall. I looked at her and knowin’ that she could scale the wall regardless, I was still a gentleman nonetheless and offered to boost her up.

 

“No need, but thank you,” she whispered as she lithely jumped to the top of the wall and crouched low.

 

I followed her up and over before hittin' the remote sensor causing the villa behind us and all our carnage to be set aflame.

 

We walked quickly away, Isabella had her arms wrapped around me and mine around hers as we retraced my path from earlier. I never imagined my night would have been completely different than other nights of freelancin’. Never would I have imagined findin' Isabella as a Volturi guard and a human drinker. Hell, I never would have imagined seein’ her again after all that had happened. Never would I have imagined what we shared. I mean, last I remembered seein’ her, she was still a clumsy human that was in love with that so-called brother of that family I once was a part of.

 

“Isabella,” I turned to look at her suddenly. I didn’t want to feel needy but there was so much to talk about. “My speedboat is docked in the harbor. We can take that back to the mainland if you want.”

 

She looked up at me, her eyes no longer black but a brilliant crimson and I felt myself get lost in her orbs again.

 

“Sounds good to me,” Isabella replied with a smile. “Oh and I think you should know, Whitlock. I’ve requested to be permanently assigned to work with you so we will have lots of time to talk.”

 

We continued walking as we neared the harbor. To the unaware, we were nothing more than a couple of people who were just lost in each other. We hopped onto my speed boat and took off.

As the first hints of dawn broke into the night sky, I felt, for the first time in my long life, a sense of completion.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (original AN)  
> A/N Thank you DarkNnerdy for once again encouraging me and being more than an awesome pre-reader, sounding board and support system. I also have two other awesome ladies helping me pre-read Jaspers_Bella and SparklingFae. Thank you so much for the feedback. My awesome Beta, Mynxi, thanks bb, you rock once again.

**Songs -  
Is This Real - Lisahall (thank you for the suggestion SparklingFae)  
Love Hate Sex Pain - Godsmack**

**  
**

For the tenth time since take off, I opened the file and studied it. I didn’t have to, having had memorized every word about J. Whitlock or, as he liked being called, Whitlock. I reached over and grabbed the glass and took a sip. Leave it to the Volturi to stock their private jets with bagged blood, served in crystal stemware. I shook my head and slipped on my sunglasses before closing my eyes. His file was fascinating. Turned around the time of the Civil War, he fought in the vicious vampire wars in the south. He was a powerful empath and considered one of the most feared of our kind.

 

Empath. I remembered how he once explained that his brother was gifted with this ability. Surely, Jasper Hale was no where the same caliber as this Whitlock. I snorted as I allowed myself some brief moments thinking about them and how high and mighty they acted. Little did they know, they were laughed at by most of the vampire world. I had even heard the Volturi kings refer to them as the “circus freak family” when the news of their demise reached us.

  


Part of the reason for wanting this reassignment was to find out what exactly happened to them. Who did they piss off so badly that they burned the Cullens to ashes? A part of me wanted to shake the hand that torched them and still another part wished I had been given an opportunity to participate in their destruction. Whatever the case, I wanted; no needed to know and, maybe even dance over their ashes.

  


Shaking myself from the reverie, I looked down at the now closed file. Whitlock. I knew from talk amongst the guards he was a bit of a hard-ass and took his job very seriously.  Despite the constant wooing from the Volturi for him to join us, he’s always refused, preferring to freelance instead.

  


I thought back to the day when we were told of the news that Serge had been destroyed for attempting to sabotage a mission. Whitlock sent him, well his ashes, back in a neatly wrapped package. The celebrations that took place after hearing about Serge’s demise was the talk of Volterra for weeks afterwards. He wasn’t well liked by the guards; hell, he wasn’t well liked by the Kings either. Why they kept his ass, I didn’t really know. Good riddance Serge, because of your stupid fuck up and greedy ass, I was now on my way to being Whitlock’s new partner.

  


If all went well and the mission was a success, I had been given the promise that I would be permanently reassigned to the Western Hemisphere and be his permanent partner. Well, that is, if he’ll take me. A part of me wanted this man already and not just as a partner but nobody except my best friends and sisters Heidi and Jane knew of this crazy crush I had.

  


I wished that I could be lulled to sleep again, especially with the low droning sound of the jet engines. I wanted to sleep and dream of that mysterious man. Crazy crush was right. I admonished myself once again for building this idea up in my head. It was just going to lead to rejection. He wouldn’t want me. I was, for all intents and purposes, a newbie and though I had excelled in the art of subterfuge while training to be one of the elite covert corps, I was unseasoned; especially compared to my soon to be partner.

  


_Right. Get a hold of yourself._

_  
_

The plane was descending and I was glad. Being a vampire didn't mean I no longer despised traveling in this metal tube. I stowed the file away before draining the last of the blood in the glass as I looked out the window to the city below. I checked myself in the mirror in front of me to make sure I would look human; well, as human as could be and prepared for the next leg of the trip. Being that I was no longer in Italy, the car that was picking me up would be driven by a human. I was certainly used to interacting with them; as long as it wasn’t going to be too long of an interaction, there should be no problem.  The plane taxied towards the private hanger and I was more than ready to exit this damn thing. Hell, if it weren’t for the Town Car waiting along with the customs agents, I would have opened the door a while ago and made the run over to my new address. Before the jet came to a complete stop, we; the co-pilot and I, rid the plane of any evidence of blood in case the authorities decided to search us.

  


I stepped off the plane and took a deep breath before heading towards the customs officers. I fidgeted like a human as they looked over my paperwork before welcoming me into the country. I walked over to the driver and rattled off the address in what I hoped sounded like badly spoken Spanish before hopping into the car. I hoped that my seemingly poor Spanish would deter the man from talking to me as we headed towards my new apartment.

  


I had requested a modest place just so I could keep with appearances and as I opened the door, I couldn’t help but shake my head. I asked for modest and I received a penthouse apartment with a view of the entire city and harbor. I took a quick look around before heading into the communications room. I got caught up on reports and forwarded the surveillance photos over to Whitlock’s secured email before looking at the clock. I had two hours before my rendezvous with the helicopter. Two hours was plenty time to soak in a nice warm bath.

  


My bath was wonderful and I enjoyed the warmth before getting ready for the night. I threw my long hair back into a braid and opened my bag to grab my clothes for my mission. I slipped on my underwear and laughed as I pulled what I thought was the standard ninja looking outfit that was packed. As I threw it on, I realized it must have been Heidi who switched it out because it wasn’t really a ninja outfit, the damn thing was tight enough to be a fucking catsuit. I picked up the black ski cap and pulled that on realizing that it was a ski mask instead. Wow, I made a mental note that the next time I was back in Volterra, I was going to get Heidi and Janey good for their joke.

  


“I look like either the cat woman or a hoochie thug,” I laughed at myself as I stood in front of the mirror. I heard the sound of a helicopter a couple miles away and checked the time. That had to be it. I grabbed my cloak and slipped that on before taking a deep breath and heading up to the rooftop for my ride.

  


I waved at the copter that was emblazoned with a lesser known Volturi logo; one that was meant for our covert operations branch, and jumped up as it hovered a few feet above me. I grabbed onto the landing skid just as it sped off. I easily pulled myself up and into the cockpit where I was greeted by Serena; a Volturi field agent. She flew us across the harbor and I listened as she explained that most of the villa’s staff had left the property; everybody except our target and his body guards. As we reached the other side of the harbor, Serena pointed to the duffel bag stowed in the back and explained that it contained everything Whitlock will need to finish up the job. She gave me the signal indicating it was time for me to jump out. I grabbed the bag and wore it like a backpack and gave her a salute before I left the confines of the helicopter, falling towards a grove of trees below. In order to slow my momentum so I could land quietly, I spun from branch to branch until I was able land on my feet. It still amazed me that I was so graceful these days especially when replaying some of the fuzzy human memories of how I was so damn clumsy that I would have tripped over my own shadow.

  


I headed straight towards the villa and easily climbed the plaster covered wall before landing quietly within the property. I hoped that Whitlock had already disabled the surveillance equipment as I headed towards the house.

  


I looked around to see if I could spot him and when I didn’t, I whispered out, “Whitlock, you there?”

  


“Up on the roof, darlin’,” came his reply.

  


_Fuck, was that a drawl? Focus at the task at hand._

_  
_

“Alright. I’m heading in from the ground and you go in from the top.”

  


I unhooked the bag and placed it by the door before crushing the front door lock. Before entering the house, I made sure both my shields were in place. I was a little over eager as I threw my outer shield a little too hard and knocked the greasy scrawny man who I recognized as being their top drug runner, hard into a table corner and he fell onto the floor knocked out and bleeding. I shrugged as I trapped the other men along the far wall. I took off my regulation cloak and placed it on the ebony colored table sitting nearby before walking into the main room.

  


Whitlock must have smelled the freshly spilled blood as I heard him running down the stairs. I stayed put as I heard him stepping onto the stone floor.

  


_Were those boots?_

_  
_

It was then that his scent wafted over towards me; worn leather mixed with vanilla and ...cloves? It was like a beat up motorcycle jacket that had some sort of tawny colored liquor spilled onto it. I breathed in the scent and in my mind I pictured a warm summer day and I could even envision me sitting on the front porch. My imagination drifted further as I saw myself reach over to hold hands with someone; a man. I heard Whitlock stop as he must have assessed the scene in front of him.  Shit! I had gotten distracted and pushed my outer shield so far that the men were nearly pinned in the corner. I eased it back immediately knowing there would be time for playing later and made sure my inner shield was securely in place.

  


“Nice of you to join, Whitlock,” I tried to tamp down the giddiness and make a good impression but I don’t know if I was successful or not.

  


“Ma’am”

  


_Oh fuck, that drawl again. Dammit, focus will you?_

  


I continued to focus my efforts straight ahead especially since I heard his footsteps coming closer. I was glad that I had decided to pull this damn beanie thing low earlier. I saw his boots before I saw him and holy shit, if I was still a human, I would have dropped to dead faint.

  


Jasper Hale. No, strike that. “J-Jasper?! You’re THAT Whitlock? I mean, you’re him?”

  


_Yeah, real smooth there._

_  
_

I was confused, I mean, I knew him once in what seemed like a lifetime ago. And here he was in front of me. How did he make it out alive? And he was Whitlock; the man whose file I had studied backwards, forwards and upside-down. Whitlock, the man who was the subject of fantasies was right here and he was Jasper. I looked at him, he looked so different; more comfortable and fucking hot. From his smile to those eyes. Wow. I was so glad, no, I was fucking ecstatic that my inner shield was in place. I mean, how embarrassing would it be if he knew how much I admired him or better yet, how much I was lusting after him right now, especially after he responded with a chuckle and he pretended to tip a cowboy hat.

  


I was done for. I shut my eyes as I quickly assessed my shields and refocused. I inwardly chided myself for sounding like a groupie over him and mentally chanted over and over that I was on a mission. I had so many questions and I am sure he did too, but first, work. I took a deep breath and opened my eyes. I explained to him the cast of characters in front of us and where the rest of the hired staff was and that there was a team following his family members.

  


I watched as he looked at the group of men I had pinned against the wall with my outer shield. They were scared; it was in their faces and in the air.

  


He turned and looked at me with his crimson eyes. They looked so much better than the golden ones I remembered from back then.

  


“He is El Tigre, Bella?”

  


I smiled with fondness; not having heard that name for so long. When I woke up to this life, I decided to say goodbye to Bella the human, and hello to Isabella the vampire. 

 

“Yep, and please, Jasper, I go by Isabella these days,” I teased, hoping that he saw that I wasn’t offended.

  


I couldn’t help but ogle at him as he sauntered over to the group of men. He exuded raw power, confidence, and oozed sex. I lost my concentration again as Jasper turned to look at me with a questioning look in his eyes. He looked like he was trying to reach the men but something kept him from reaching his destination. My shield. I sheepishly apologized and dropped the outer shield and continued to stare as he grabbed El Tigre by the neck and dragged him over to me.

  


Heidi would have been so proud of me as I used some of her patented seductive moves and garnered information from El Tigre. I caressed and cooed at him and drew him into my web. I am sure Whitlock helped as he continued watching intently. When I got all the information that I needed, I embraced El Tigre before sinking my teeth into his neck. The blood flowed into my mouth and warmed my throat as I drank. I wasn’t thirsty; not really, so after a couple pulls, I unlatched and smiled at Whitlock and felt the blood splatter onto me.

  


“Share with me?”

  


I stared at him as he took the man and placed his mouth right over my bite. His eyes never left mine while he drank. We passed the man back and forth; each time placing our mouths over my first bite so that we could taste each other. I don’t know what possessed me to flirt with him like that. The only other time I had ever shared a meal was after one intense training session where Jane and I were purposely starved and our arms had been removed. We were told it was the vampire equivalent to human P.O.W. training and when we were done, we were given one waif-like girl to share before we were able to get our limbs reattached and hunt properly. That meal sharing was nothing close to what I had just experienced.

  


“Now, we can have some fun.” I felt truly wicked and emboldened after we finished and El Tigre was tossed unceremoniously onto the floor. “Oh, and to answer your questioning look earlier, I am a shield and I used it on them which is why you were blocked. I was also shielding myself but in a different way.” I wasn’t sure why I revealed my inner shield to him; it just felt right to let him know.

  


I hadn’t had fun with my food in a while and I was excited at the prospect. I also wanted, no, I needed to see him in action. “On my count, send them as much fucking fear as you can, Whitlock.”

  


He just stood there for a few minutes and I wasn’t sure what that was all about. It wasn't until I snapped my fingers near his face that he responded. I teased him a little and earned more of that sexy drawl along with a sheepish grin. I was so glad that he could not feel what I was feeling. I wanted to reassure him that everything was fine and reached out and touched his chest. A strange warmth filled my fingertips. I had never felt anything like that before and it threw me off for a bit.

  


To say I was turned on as I watched him use his gift on the humans was an understatement. I heard the cries and felt my eyes darken at the thought of playtime. I ghosted over to one of the men and grabbed him roughly. He tried to beg for mercy but I wasn't going to give him any. I laughed as I played with that fragile human. I felt his paper-thin skin underneath my hands as I drug my nail across his neck and watched as the beautiful crimson pooled. I slowly and leisurely licked it up. Normally, I was careful with my feedings and hardly ever spilled a drop. Now and again though, if there was an opportunity to make a huge mess, I took it wholeheartedly.

  


It was always the same for me. If it was a male victim, I would imagine a certain copper haired boy and if it was a female, it was always a spiky haired bitch. As I slapped the human a few times I pictured the man’s hair go from his greasy brown to that messy penny color that I once thought was so alluring. I imagined it was his cheek that I sliced open and drank from. The rest of them were never significant, well, so I had always thought to myself, until tonight. I broke the man slowly and enjoyed watching blood fall on me and on the floor.

  


Okay, watching him unleash his gift was sexy but watching him prey on a human and see blood coating him was downright fucking hot. Hell, if he was molten lava, I would willingly jump in and burn. My chest heaved as I watched him squeeze the man’s heart. His eyes were dark now and I am sure mine was as well. I felt my growl begin from deep within my chest. When he faced the men he must have unleashed more of his gift because they started whimpering and begging for their lives. I wanted to be close to him; to feel his victim’s blood splash onto me as mine splashed onto him. I wanted to feed with him again but most of all, I wanted him. And I wanted him badly.

  


If it weren’t for my expansive vampire mind, I probably wouldn’t have believed what happened next. He brought that drug runner to me and I suggested that we share him. We let his blood bathe us as we cut and drank from the walking blood bag. We repeated that until there was only one human remaining. He was on his knees begging us to set him free. He blubbered and wailed while we laughed. We each grabbed a hold of an arm and dragged him towards the growing pool of blood on the floor and Whitlock sliced into the man’s carotid artery. Whitlock then lifted him up and held him over us as the warm liquid rained down. We sliced into the body over and over again until he finally bled out. Playtime was over.

  


Or so I thought.

  


The air was heavy as we stared at each other. We were both panting even though air wasn’t necessary for us. I moved closer to him wanting and needing to touch him again. That hunger in his eyes wasn’t for blood as we had more than sated ourselves. Was that hunger for me? I wanted him so bad, not just for that moment but that would be good enough for the time being. I hoped I wasn’t setting myself up for a world of hurt but I needed him. It almost hurt not being close to him.

  


I had never felt that strange sensation in my chest before and didn’t understand what that meant. I wasn’t the innocent girl that lived in Forks all those years ago. I’ve had a couple flings; as a human and a vampire after he left, though they were short lived because they just never felt right.

  


My lips met Jasper’s and when I tasted the blood as well as his own intoxicating scent I was done for. It was my turn to be lured. I was ready and willing especially when he growled into my mouth. My hands grabbed onto his hair as he lifted me up. I wrapped my legs around him and felt him grab the ski cap off my head. I felt my hair loosen out of the braid as his mouth continued to explore my sensitive skin. I couldn’t do anything more than just whimper out at the sensations. I bucked up against him and felt his hardness. It was dizzying, even for a vampire. I held on tighter as I reached up and licked along his jaw. I could see his battle scars and I was more turned on.

  


He used his nails and shredded my shirt off of my body before we both fell onto the stone floor; our mouths never leaving each other’s skin. My breath hitched as he licked my skin and growled out at me.

  


“Fuck, Isabella! You’re so fuckin’ beautiful.”

  


The way my name sounded coming from his mouth... oh fuck me, I would follow that man to the ends of the earth if I had to. I was lost; all I could do was feel. Was it even possible for a vampire’s brain to turn to goo? Nobody had ever made me feel that way before. I wasn’t even sure if I was coherent. I think I responded to him. When he reached my waistband, I think I begged him not to stop. I nearly had an orgasm when he shredded my fucking pants with his teeth.

  


_Oh god, please don’t let this be a dream. Let me replay these moments over and over in my mind later._

  


His tongue. That wicked tongue of his continued torturing me and I loved every fucking minute of it. I writhed and moaned. I clawed at the floor and felt the cooled blood beneath me.

  


He laid between my legs and his whispered breath caressed my heated center. “Look at me, Isabella.”

  


I was so wet. I sat up and watched his tongue as he licked up my juices. I was panting hard. I was certain my eyes were two pieces of onyx just like his. I was beyond dizzy.

  


_Could vampires faint? Oh fuck, was that his finger?_

_  
_

“Fuck, you’re so wet!”

  


I bucked up against him as I felt his fingers and his tongue in me and on me. Whether he wanted me beyond this moment or not, I was his. I pushed that thought aside for later. He crawled back up to kiss and I moaned. I needed to regain some control, especially when he ground against my hip. I quickly rolled us over and sat up before I smiled at him.

  


I channeled Heidi’s prowess once more when I smirked and said, “My turn, Whitlock.”

  


Just as he licked my body, I wanted to return the favor. Having lain in the pool of blood, my hair was leaving trails of blood on his skin making him taste even more exquisite. The crimson pooled slightly more over his scars and I licked it off of him. Those scars were the mark of a warrior. Did he notice mine from all the guard training? I felt a little insignificant comparing my scars from exercises to his that were actual battle wounds. I continued my trail until I felt the rough denim on my face. I sat up and grabbed onto his belt loops and pulled, leaving him only in his boots.

  


Repeating his words earlier to me, I looked at him straight in the eyes, “Look at me, Whitlock.”

  


I’ll never forget that moment thanks to my brain and was glad to regain some control. My brain didn’t feel like goo anymore as I straddled him and slowly pushed him into me. My eyes rolled to the back of my head as he filled me up. Our sparkling white flesh was a criss-cross pattern of blood thanks to my hair. He left bloody handprints on my hips as he gripped me and lifted me up. I heard him speak but once again I fell into that zone and all I could do was moan and whimper.

  


He flipped me over and I felt his weight on me as he thrust repeatedly into me. I responded by digging my nails in and scratching his back. It felt so good. Once again I hoped this wasn’t all just a dream. He lifted himself off me and I just stared at him wide-eyed. He gave me that sinister smirk of his that I was already hoping was only reserved for me.

  


_Where the fuck did that come from?_

_  
_

He sat me up and kissed me hard before guiding me with his hands on my hips to face away from him. I bit my lip as I felt him thrust hard into me from behind. I moaned and whimpered as I felt that spring within me begin to tighten. My legs felt like they would shake from the force of our passion. It felt so good and so fucking right. It was passion but it was also a sense of something more; a sense of comfort.

  


Jasper continued his onslaught and I loved every fucking thrust. Growls escaped from our mouths. I was close and he must have known as he grabbed onto my hair and pulled hard so I had to look at him.

  


“Come for me, Isabella!”

  


FUCK! I am so fucking close!

  


I reached between my legs to play with my swollen clit. I brushed my fingers on his cock a few times and his hand released my hair as he grabbed me hard. I wouldn’t be surprised if I had imprints of his fingers from this. That was my undoing. He roared. I swore I saw stars. That coil snapped and I screamed his name out loud. I was pulsating from within as he continued to thrust hard a few more times before collapsing on top of me.  We were both catching our breath before we untangled from each other. I would have felt vulnerable at that very moment if we stopped touching, but he lay back on the floor and pulled me against him.

  


My hand was still wet with blood and I just doodled randomly on his torso as he played with my hair. Crescents, numbers, squiggles, I just didn’t want to stop touching him yet. I made sure my shield was in place after realizing it had dropped at some point. I wasn’t sure what was going to happen afterwards but surely this was more than just carnal pleasure, right?

  


I had to get out of this room and refocus on the task at hand. We still weren’t through with the mission.

  


“Come on, let’s get cleaned up and get the fuck out of here. I am sure you have questions and I know I do so let’s get this job over with and we can talk,” I suggested, hoping like hell I sounded less like a fan girl and more like a vampire spy.

  


“Yes ma’am!” he replied with a smile as he got up and grabbed my hand.

  


We reached the top of the stairs and leisurely raided closets, grabbing clothes that would fit us before heading into the large granite walk-in shower. Just as it was earlier, no words were spoken between us; only this time it wasn’t the carnal frenzied fucking that had taken place downstairs. It was different but nothing short of passionate as our hands never left each other’s wet bodies while we washed the blood off each other. Our mouths kissed, licked and nipped at each other as he lifted me and pressed me against the shower wall and I slid down onto him once again. The only sound was the rushing of the water spray mixed with our growls and moans. Steam from the water enveloped us as we rocked our hips together. Our eyes locked as we brought each other to another mind blowing release.

  


After drying each other off and putting on clothes, we headed downstairs to finish our job and get the fuck out of here. I watched him open the front door and grab the duffel bag. I made sure my inner shield was in place before thinking quickly about what happened tonight. I stood there and watched as he assessed the contents of the bag before rigging up the place for an explosion. I thought about how of all the people that could have stepped back into my life, I never imagined Jasper Hale. No, Jasper Whitlock.

  


I watched as he grabbed the bags of drugs and planted them around the perimeter. His muscles rippled through the tight thermal shirt he wore and I wondered if what we just shared would lead to more. He set up the crime scene for the human authorities and I couldn’t help but stare at him in wonder and in awe. What we shared, it had to be more, certainly he felt something too, other than lust, didn’t he? So many questions ran through my brain and I was sure he had questions too. I grabbed my cloak from the small table and carefully pulled it on and slowly let go of my inner shield. I was watching intently as he looked up and gave me a wink before finishing up and reaching for my hand.

 

“Where did you learn all that, Whitlock?” I asked laughing as I put my hand into his. Just touching him felt so good.

  


_This, whatever it was, had to be good. It just had to._

  


“I’ve had some practice,” he replied as we reached the wall surrounding the property. I smiled as he offered to boost me up and deftly scaled the wall. We jumped off the wall and he pressed the remote detonating the building. We walked quickly along; not wanting to draw any attention. I couldn’t help myself and brought my arm around him, feeling glad that he did the same. When he turned to look at me, I swear, my dead heart died once again.

  


His eyes were so full of expression. So much depth and I had to concentrate hard on my inner shield to make sure he didn’t know how lost I was getting. He explained how he had a boat nearby and it would take us safely out of here. I knew once we made it to the city, we could head back to my place where it was secure and very private. But first I had to make sure he knew.

  


“Sounds good to me,” I answered. “Oh and I think you should know, Whitlock. I’ve requested to be permanently assigned to work with you, so we will have lots of time to talk.”

  


He didn’t say anything but it didn’t feel like he objected either. We continued wrapped in each other’s arms as we reached his boat in the harbor. I hopped in and sat as he started the motor, taking off towards the city lights.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (original AN)  
> A/N Thank you DarkNnerdy for once again encouraging me and being more than an awesome pre-reader, sounding board and support system. I also have two other awesome ladies helping me pre-read Jaspers_Bella and SparklingFae. Thank you so much for the feedback. My awesome Beta, Mynxi, thanks bb, you rock once again.

**CHAPTER 3**

****

****

_Songs:_

_Let Me Down Easy - Billy Currington_

_Do You Wanna Stay - Jason Aldean with Kelly Clarkson_

_  
_

_JPOV_

 

We crossed the harbor in relative silence. Not wantin' to draw too much attention to ourselves, I slowed the boat down once we left the dock and now it looked like we were just enjoyin' a leisurely cruise back towards the city. I touched her arm at one point and had her steer while I grabbed my black combat boots and black paratrooper pants. The jeans I took from the villa were those damn designer jeans that I hated with a fuckin' passion and I was glad to shed those things off of me.

 

As much as I wanted to talk, I also enjoyed the silence between us. Her shield was still up but I could still feel her; hope, curiosity, want. Was that for me? I felt her emotions but who or what they were for, I couldn't tell. I felt compelled to confide to her that I could feel her seepin' through her shield. I had to let her know and soon; last thing I wanted to do was piss off the woman standing next to me. I told her once, a lifetime ago, that she was worth it and now I think she is even more so. I turned and smiled at her and saw a softness in her eyes as she returned my smile. Her eyes; her chocolate brown ones were always so expressive, I didn't even need my gift to see that, but now, her crimson ones were just mesmerizin'.

 

What we shared back at that house was amazin'. That was the first time in a long while that I was able to freely let the predator within me out to enjoy himself. To see her own demon, wow, she was fuckin' magnificent and that baser part of me liked what he saw. He was ready to bite her and claim her as his. Hell, I was too but the man in me, wanted to make sure, absolutely fuckin' sure that she wanted me the same way.

 

I pulled my boat into the slip and held my hand out to her. I was surprised she took it and allowed me to help her off the boat. Just touchin' her felt good. We walked together to her place, our arms wrapped around each other. We were goin' to talk and I had so many fuckin' questions. But where to start? Knowin' that she wanted to work with me for a while was good very nice. I didn't want to feel like I was interrogatin' her and I looked forward to taking sometime to know Isabella... Swan? Again.

 

We turned the corner and walked into a luxury building. I followed her as she pressed the elevator door and turned to look at me.

 

"Look, um my place… I didn't choose it." She looked at me almost apologetically.

 

I didn't know what to say. I was a little confused, it didn't look like this place was a dump but I felt embarrassment comin' off of her. So I just nodded and watched as she took out a special key and inserted it into the elevator panel. I understood as she pressed the PH button. It was a good feelin' knowin' she wasn't all about the "designer this" or the "high end that". I've had my share of that to last me a long time. We walked out of the elevator and into her apartment. The view of the city was spectacular and I wanted to comment on it but I knew she was still embarrassed by the place, so I kept quiet.

 

Isabella led me to the communications room that was set up and from there I quickly typed out my report as she excused herself sayin' she needed to change. Less than a minute later, she came back; barefoot, wearin' a pair of worn jeans and a dark blue sweater that had a wide enough neck that it slipped gracefully off her shoulder exposin' a black bra strap. She sat beside me and finished her paperwork. There was music streamin' throughout her house and I was surprised at what I was hearin'.

"Country music, Isabella?"

 

She laughed and shook her head. "What? Just because I lived in Italy, I can't like a little bit of country?"

I played along with her. "No ma'am, I was just surprised. I always pictured you listenin' to alternative."

She bent her head over her keyboard and shook her head. She was also laughin'. The sweater slipped further down her creamy white shoulder and I couldn't help but stare. That was when I saw it. I had seen her scar around her shoulder back at the house, but at that time I didn't think anything of it. Bite marks on her arms I expected. But now, seein' it, I had a hard time suppressin' an urge to growl and find the fucker who did that to her. I wanted to fuckin' tear them apart and set each fuckin' piece on fire while they watched.

 

"I listen to a little bit of everything." She looked up at me and her eyes widened. I might have looked downright menacin' but she wasn't scared or intimated. "Jasper? Are you okay?" She looked at me with worry in her eyes.

 

"Isabella? Who the fuck did that to your arm?" I wasn't pleasant soundin' at that moment. I was downright pissed.

 

"Oh, I think it is best to continue this conversation on the couch? I think it is question time," she replied, givin' me a small smile.

 

I nodded and followed her out to some couches and sat waitin' for her.

 

"I'll make us some refreshments. I think we'll need them," she said as she headed towards the kitchen.

 

_Huh?_

I was curious, so I followed her and sat down on one of the bar stools. She grabbed some bagged blood and carefully heated them up on the stovetop. As they were warmin', she reached in a pantry and grabbed a bottle of clear liquid along with a pitcher. When she thought the blood was warm enough, I watched as she opened the bag and mixed it with the clear liquid that I now knew to be some sort of alcohol.

 

"Bel... I mean Isabella? You do know that we're not able to drink, right?"

 

She winked and laughed again. "Well, actually, the guards discovered that to be untrue one night and well, I'm letting you in on the secret. Mind you, if you over drink this stuff, it won't be pleasant but a bottle isn't bad. It just has to be the clear stuff, whiskies and bourbons will make you sick as fuck."

 

She reached into a cabinet and grabbed a couple glasses before walkin' back to the couch. I watched her hips sway as she walked over and I shook my head thinkin' that she was full of surprises and I liked it.

She poured out two glasses and she handed me one. I was still a little weary so I took a sniff and just watched her. She understood my apprehension and shrugged before takin' her glass and shootin' it down.

 

"Your turn, Whitlock." She smiled so brightly that I was momentarily lost.

 

I took a breath and drank, hopin' I wasn't gonna have to toss that back up later on. It wasn't bad, I realized, I had worse blood that came from my drug riddled victims more often than not. I think I much preferred this than the blood of a nasty crack laced prostitute.

 

Isabella sat close to me and turned her face towards me on the couch before tuckin' her legs under her. Her knees were brushin' against my thigh. If it weren't for her crimson eyes and the slight sparkle of her skin from the filtered sunlight, she would have looked human.

 

"So you asked about my shoulders earlier," her voice quiet and I could feel a little apprehension comin' from her as she kept her eyes lowered.

 

_Shoulders?_

"Well, it was part of my training," she continued. "It was like P.O.W. training. Jane and I were kept in separate small cells; so small that even we couldn't move with ease. Our arms were ripped off of us and we were starved. We stayed there for probably over a month before we were released from our cages, as we called them, and we were given a frail, thin female to feed off of between us. After that, our arms were reattached and we were able to fully hunt."

 

I reached over and touched her exposed shoulder. I felt the tell tale ridge of where her arm was fused back by venom. The pads of my fingertips slowly traced the path around her shoulder cap, brushin' her black satin and lace bra strap. I pulled her sweater so that her other shoulder was revealed and followed its path. I felt her eyes on me while I looked and touched her skin; that strange warmth that I felt earlier was back. I was amazed she went through somethin' like that. I had seen this during my days with Maria and saw how easily vampires could go insane during the time they are kept in small confined spaces.

 

"You're amazin', Isabella. You know that? I've seen vampires lose their shit being placed in cages like that. Plus, you had limbs removed. I've had to destroy lesser vampires because they just couldn't function normally anymore; just from bein' confined in small spaces. The fact that you're here is sayin' a lot."

 

I knew I had to tell her now before more things were revealed between us. I took the hand that was restin' on her lap between my mine. "Darlin', I'm not gonna lie to you but I can feel your emotions through your shield; it is very muted but it is still there."

 

"Fuck! Oh god, you must think... shit!" Isabella exclaimed; her eyes wide in shock as mortification seeped through. "I'm so fucking embarassed." She reached over, poured a glass and quickly downed it. "Jasper, I hope you weren't offended with what you felt. I... I just... that is... Iamattractedtoyou."

 

The words rushed out of her mouth and I probably wouldn't have heard or understood it if I weren't a vampire. She was attracted to me and it felt good knowin' that. I looked at her and saw once again she couldn't look me in the eyes. She was also bitin' her lip.

 

_Fuck, that was sexy as hell._

"Darlin', I am attracted to you as well." I lifted her chin slightly and looked into her eyes, hoping she saw the honestly and sincerity in mine.

 

I wanted to show her I was bein' sincere, and I didn't think she was willin' to drop her shield at this moment so I could _actually_ show her. No, the last thing I wanted was to have her runnin' off, especially with my need of wantin' to touch her and be close to her. "I don't want to rush into things given my past record on relationships but what we shared earlier? I don't take that lightly either." I decided to keep things light given our sudden confession. I looked at the pitcher again and chuckled. "How 'bout we keep to small talk and enjoy the refreshments you provided?"

 

She looked relieved. "That sounds great, I like that we can slowly talk about stuff." She took my hand squeezed. "We never got a chance to know each other... you know." She hesitated and shrugged. I took that as a signal that she wasn't ready to talk about my former family and I was glad because I wasn't sure how she'd take it if she knew what I had done. I watched as Isabella poured us a glass and proceeded to move closer to me on the couch.

 

"Darlin? I believe it is your turn to ask me a question." I wasn't sure what she would ask and from my experience so far, I should be prepared for anything.

 

She tilted her head and stared at me for a while with a serious look in her eyes. She took a sip as though to prepare herself and then she opened her mouth to ask. It was my turn to shoot down my drink as I braced myself and imagined the worst or most uncomfortable question that could come out of her mouth.

 

"What color were your eyes, Jasper?"

 

_Oh you minx! You had me goin'!_

Of all the questions I could have been asked, I wasn't expectin' that one and once again, Isabella had thrown me for a loop. I chuckled again before answerin' her. It had been a while since I thought about the very few human memories I retained.

 

"My eyes were bluish-grey and I remember bein' told that if I was pissed off, would they would look like storm clouds brewin' from within."

 

I watched as she moved closer to me still starin' into my eyes like she was lookin' for somethin'.

"Darlin'?" I was a little taken back by her intense gaze. It almost felt like she was lookin' straight into my inner most secrets.

 

"What?" She looked at me with a little confusion. "Shit, I'm sorry, I was just trying to see and imagine them that color." If she could have blushed, I almost guarantee she would have been bright red.

 

I poured her a glass of our "cocktail" and handed it to her before wrappin' my arm around her and pullin' her close to me. "Darlin', I just never had anybody look at me like that before or with that much intensity." I pressed my lips against her hair and filled my nostrils with her scent. "Anytime you want to stare at me, so long as we're not on a job, I'm fine with that," I murmured before kissin' her head again. It felt so natural bein' close to her and touchin' her.

 

We continued askin' each other questions. I was enjoyin' this moment with Isabella; learnin' about the little things as we drank seemed strangely human but it fit, bein' it was with her. We finished one pitcher and headed back to the kitchen for refills. I wasn't drunk but I was certainly more relaxed. I learned that even as a human she was more interestin' than she ever let on when we first met so long ago. She had a lizard named Godzilla for a pet when she lived in Arizona. She was a bit of a tomboy while she was a kid and broke her arm once trying to pop wheelies with the neighborhood boys. She confided to me that she said goodbye to Bella the day she became a vampire.

 

She learned that I had a dog named Gus when I was young and that I have, on occasion, played a little guitar. While I was in the army, I used to drink whiskey and play cards with the men sometimes until late into the night. She also learned that I always hated the name "Jazz" and she laughed and promised that she'd never call me that unless I pissed her off.

Before I could ask her more questions, I heard the sound of "Janie's Got a Gun" comin' from what I guessed to be her room.

 

"Oh! I'll be right back." She quickly got up and ran towards the music. I didn't expect her to come back with her phone thinkin' she wanted some privacy.

 

"Voodoo! How are things?" Isabella asked laughin' over the phone. I tried not to listen and give her some space, so I motioned to her that I was gonna step out to the balcony to take in the night sky. She quickly shook her head at me and grabbed my hand.

 

"I'm fine, the trip took fucking forever!" I looked at her as she continued her phone conversation. Her fingers were now interlaced with mine. Whoever it was on the other end kept talkin' about a riot and somethin' about a raven bein' delivered tomorrow. I heard my name bein' mentioned by the woman on the other end and looked at Isabella quizzically. She looked at me and motioned me to keep quiet. "Whitlock is fine, the job was a success so I'll be here for a while. Say hi to Brickhouse, okay? Oh and thanks for the outfit. I'll get you, my pretties! Love you, Voodoo and I'll talk to you in a few days." She hung up the phone and set it on the table.

 

"So, I guess I should explain that?" There was laughter in her voice this time and even a sense of fondness for the person on the other end.  
  


"Only if you're comfortable, darlin'. I am not gonna push you for answers." I decided to tease her a bit and smirked, "Besides, I think I can get answers by other means." I grabbed her by the waist and tickled her along her ribs. She squealed and laughed some more while she tried wigglin' away.

 

"Uncle! I give!" she squeaked out. She looked fuckin' radiant. Her eyes were bright and full of happiness and her smile lit up the room. Once again I felt like I was gettin' lost under her spell. I let go of her and she immediately moved closer and leaned against my shoulder.

 

"That was Jane she's one of my closest friends and we're basically sisters."

 

I could see the familial love as she talked about her sister. I had never met Jane before but her reputation along with her twin brother, Alec, always left me thinkin' they were sticks in the mud. Hearin' her excitement over the phone and seein' Isabella's joy was a pleasant surprise.

 

"Isabella? You called her Voodoo?" I asked while lookin' at her curiously. Was this a Volturi thing, to have strange names?  
  


"Oh... that," she threw back her head and laughed. "We, my sisters and I, made up nicknames for each other, a funny spy name sort of thing. I am Riot because of my shield. Jane is Voodoo because of her ability to send pain to people and Heidi... well, she doesn't exactly like our kickass spy name for her."

I smiled at her before askin', "Why doesn't she like her name?" I was glad that she had people that she truly considered family.

 

She snickered and whispered, "Brickhouse. You know, like the song. It's because she's..." She proceeded to mime a curvy silhouette in the air. "I thought it was better than calling her Fish Stick or Fisherman which were Janey's ideas." She looked at with a mischievous glint in her eye.

 

I threw my head back and laughed.

 

_Oh hell yeah, someone who has a fuckin' sense of humor._

"And Raven? She…" I began to ask, hopin' to hell that it was a she. "Is she comin' for a visit?" Fuck, I didn't want to sound like an asshole but I couldn't help it. I liked what I saw. She was full of life, fiery, full of surprises and fuckin' sexy as sin.

 

_You need to claim her, Whitlock, and soon._

"No, Raven isn't visiting. He'll be here for a while if I have anything to do with it."

 

I was just about to get possessive cave man on her ass when I noticed her lips twitchin' a little.

"Isabella?" I tried to sound nonchalant as she reached over and grabbed her phone and started to play with it.

 

"My baby." She turned her phone around and there was a picture of her straddlin' a black motorbike. But not just any motorbike.

 

"You have a Ducati 1098S?" Images of her straddlin' her bike raced through my brain. There were even a few of her ridin' that thing wearin' nothin' but black biker boots.

 

_Easy there, Whitlock._

She nodded. "He's a few years old but I'm pretty attached to him."

 

"Well, anytime you want some company, I've got my Ducati 999S here. I've got the same model as yours but she's currently Stateside but this one is one of my favorite ones." I really hoped that she'll take up my offer... and soon.

 

"Oh that bike is really hot! Yeah, that sounds great. I've never been here and could always use the company," she replied. "Jasper? Do you have any plans later today? If you don't, would you like to meet Raven?"

 

"Why, Ms..." I paused, I wasn't sure if she stilled called herself Swan or not. "Swan?"

 

"I don't use Swan often these days except as a middle name. Volturi works or, the authorities welcomed Ms. Isabella Charles into the country last night."

 

I wondered what the significance of Charles was. Was it because of her dad? I was curious but I was willin' to wait. I decided to lay on some of my Whitlock charm on her.

 

"Well, Ms. Charles," I took her hand in mine and gave it a kiss before whispering against her skin. "It'll be my pleasure."

 

I looked back at her and smiled. "Darlin' the stars are out tonight. Why don't we take a look out your balcony?" We walked outside hand in hand and I noticed a couple of chairs and loungers set up.

She stood in front of me; my arms wrapped around her and her arms holdin' mine, as we looked over the railin'. I leaned in near her ear. Isabella's place had an expansive view of the city and I whispered out points of interest not wantin' to disturb the din of the city below.

 

The strange tuggin' was back. I had felt it back at the villa but it was faint so I passed it off as just an overwhelmin' amount of sensations and emotions comin' from us along with the blood and fear from the men, but up here, it was peacefully calm. The feelin' was stronger this time. As we stood there, I tried to make sense of what the feelin' was and what it meant.

 

I've known quite a few vampires in my life and began processin' the information in my head, quickly comin' up with some common threads. I deduced it wasn't likely to be a product of the fun we had with the humans. I had bathed and fucked in blood before, as The Major back in the day, so I knew it wasn't because of that. Was it Isabella's shield? I didn't think that was a likely explanation because the sensation was still there after she dropped the damn thing.

 

Was it Isabella herself? My gut was tellin' me that she was a factor in the equation but it was more than that. Could it be… us? I quickly scanned my memories of couples that I had known, once again, to find a common theme.

 

The so-called patriarch of that fucked up family and his wife. I felt that they had a fondness for each other but their efforts to behave and live amongst humans became distorted as time went by and they all but abandoned their vampiric nature; save for the need for blood, even if it was that nasty animal blood. I chuckled internally as I thought of the many times I wondered if Esme was a robot instead of a vampire. I never felt that strong need and desire comin' from them. Hell, I had felt human couples with more passion than those two.

 

Passion was definitely somethin' that wasn't lackin' in that fake twin of mine and her jock husband. I was fond of her and did see her as a sister at one point. But in time, all she did was bitch about everythin' under the sun and her husband just let her lead him around like a fuckin' puppy dog. Of course, then I discovered she was also a part of their game and any allegiance I ever had with her; with them, ended.

 

I even looked at my relationships to see if I ever felt this feelin'. I definitely didn't feel it with Maria; all we had in common was that she was my maker and we both loved human blood. She tried to convince me we were more, but I was just a play thing for her and I'm not complainin' I was fueled by blood durin' my days with her and a relationship was far from my mind.

 

I looked back to that bitch wife of several decades. That fuckin' pixie convinced me that we were real mates. Nearly six decades was a long fuckin' time to be with someone but I was convinced she was the one. I never felt the urge to bite her, I felt like I loved her at one point, though. I might have been forged for war and destruction but I was first and foremost still a man. I thought she felt the same towards me but it was all a fuckin' lie; to play me for a fool.

 

_Now who's laughin, pixie bitch?  
  
_

Mates. The only couple that I could even consider as mates were Peter and Char. I never felt the pull between them but I knew they were each other's worlds. I could see it in the way they looked at each other; devotion, loyalty, and a deep love. Even if they didn't agree on things; which was often because Peter was just a crazy fucker at times, the love was still there. Could it be only mates felt the pull towards each other? I made a note to ask his crazy ass soon.

 

Mates – the word fuckin' scared me. Was that what we were? Fuck, what was I gonna do? Was she even feelin' the same? Would she even want this? Me? I knew that a lot of being mated was based partially on instinct but I didn't want to just take her if she didn't want this, us. I'd fight the feeling if that was the case. I wasn't the kind of man that would force her into a relationship but I wasn't kind of man who would bring her flowers either. I wasn't a monster as I was treated in my past and I certainly was capable of love.

 

_Love? Fuck, this is crazy. Slow the fuck down, Whitlock!_

Was the desire to bite her the key? In my long existence, I never felt the need to bite another, other than for a meal. Even durin' the wars, my turnin' others wasn't a need or a desire; it was simply my job. I played creator and then later when they were no longer useful, I played destroyer. I thought back to that pixie bitch again and how after seein' Peter and Char one summer, I thought about if I should just fight my instinct and just bite her. I was soon confronted by her; that mindreadin' asshole must have read my thought because that was all it was; an errant thought. I was told it was a barbaric and crass ritual and nobody did that anymore. We didn't need to bite because our love was above that. And I fuckin' believed her.

 

In fact, nobody in that family ever wore a mark like that. Nobody other than Peter and Char. The only marks the Cullens had were the ones from their change that they often hid out of shame. A memory flooded my brain of Rose bitchin' Emmett out because he nearly bit her durin' sex. It was soon after we had left Forks under Edward's orders and the tension amongst the family was an all time high. I sought solace high above in a tree and heard the conversation below. She yelled at him because she didn't want an ugly scar to mar her skin. I didn't need my gift to feel the disgust comin' off of her when she sneered the word scar. My own body was littered with scars and I thought she was being shallow and petty. From that day forward I never looked at her the same way. Ever.

 

Bitin' had to be another key. Fuck, what if she didn't want it? I had never wanted someone to wear my mark on them before and hell, if she wanted to mark me, I was gonna let her. But still, I had doubts and that was what scared me.

 

I wasn't sure how much time had passed as I looked down and saw Isabella starin' at me.

 

"If I didn't know better, I'd think a storm rolled through your eyes," she whispered as she reached up and brushed the side of my face.

 

I smiled at the feel of her hand against my face. I gave her hand a kiss before answerin' her. "I'm sorry, darlin', I was tryin' to figure out some things out in my head."

 

I pulled her away from the edge of the balcony and onto one of the loungers. The idea that I might have found a mate made me feel vulnerable, but at the same time, I was willin' to take that chance if she was up for it. For now though, I just wanted to be close to her. She was layin' up against me as I pointed out the various constellations. We stayed out there and watched as the sky started to lighten. I sat up and got ready to get up when I felt her hand on the small of my back.

 

"Um, Jasper?" Isabella asked, breakin' the silence.

 

I turned towards her and she was fidgetin' a little and that gave her more of that human quality. I didn't know what had her nervous though.

 

"Isabella?"

 

"Is your place… I mean, what is your place like?"

 

I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her close.

 

"Remember that peak I pointed out to you?" My place is cut into the mountain," I explained. I had a feelin' that she was just not comfortable with the grandness of bein' in the penthouse. "Would you like to see it? If we leave now, we can run up there just in time to see the sunrise."

 

"That sounds great," she replied and her smile was better than any sunrise I had ever seen in my long life. "Let me grab a few things first."

 

And with that, she started runnin' around in a blur. I heard the sounds of cabinets and drawers openin' and closin'. Eleven minutes later she stood in front of me with a duffel bag in hand and she was now dressed similar to me; black fatigue pants and a thermal top that hugged all her fuckin' curves. I reached over with one hand and grabbed the bag and my other grasped her hand.

 

As we headed down the elevator, I looked down and asked her quietly, "Are you gonna be ready to run?"

 

She looked at me and grinned. "Oh you betcha!"  
  


I shrugged on the duffel and held her hand as we exited the building. We walked a couple blocks at human speed before reaching a low lit area of town. I nodded towards the peak and we took off runnin' hand in hand.

 

 

 

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (original AN)   
> A/N: Thank you DarkNnerdy for your support, as always. My pre-readers, JaspersBella and SparklingFae, thank you ladies for your feedback on this one. Mynxi, thank you so much for being the awesome beta that you are. You ladies FUCKING ROCK!
> 
> Special thank you to IdreamofEddy because well, you helped give a certain vampire who will be mentioned in this chapter a special life in fandom. I am just tweaking it just a bit to add my bit of flair to it. 
> 
> Once again, SM owns all the characters. I just gave them a cool sexy new story tell.

Chapter 4

Songs:

Just a Kiss – Lady Antebellum

Hurt – Nine inch Nails

 

**_BPOV_ **

 

We stood there out on the balcony; his arms wrapped around me as he showed me the city. It had been an interesting 24 hours for sure. I had the most mind blowing sex ever and admitted to Jasper that I was attracted to him. When I found out my shield wasn’t 100% effective on him, I wanted the floor to open up and send me to the fiery pits of hell at that moment; I was so fucking mortified. My shield. Was it defective or was he just that powerful of an empath? I certainly hoped it was the latter and not the former. What use would I be if I couldn’t fully shield?

 

Keeping the questions light was a great idea. We definitely had the time to talk about the bad shit. No doubt there would be and I had to be ready for it no matter what. A small part of me did not want to feel vulnerable about telling him my past but also felt like I could tell him anything and there would be no judgements. He might get a little angry like when he saw my scars but I didn’t think he’d ever judge me. The way his fingers touched my scars and his praise was just... wow. I felt vulnerable, empowered, frightened, sexy and happy; all at the same time. I was falling for this man and could only hope he felt similar.

 

_You’ve got it so bad. You’re so fucking toast._

 

I looked up at Jasper. He looked completely lost in his thoughts. I slowly withdrew my shield a little just to see if I could see any reactions coming from him. He was so preoccupied that he didn’t even notice I had dropped my shield for a good 3 seconds before letting it partially back up again. I felt the rage and anger that he was projecting and had to pull it up completely. I could have thrown my outer shield in reaction if I wasn’t in control of my emotions. 

 

_Wow, don’t ever piss the empath off._

 

I watched him for a while. What he said about his eyes was so true, even though they were no longer the stormy grey of his human life. He snapped out of his thoughts and looked down at me. The anger quickly disappeared and was replaced with a warmth as he smiled. 

 

“If I didn’t know better, I think a storm rolled through your eyes,” I whispered and reached up to touch his face. 

 

It just felt natural to be near him; to touch him. Whether we were clothed or not, sitting on a couch or as we were, lying on the chaise lounge, it just felt right. As he pointed out the stars, I wondered to myself if it would even be possible to have a relationship with him. I mean, I was never like _her_. I don’t care for designer shit, like she did, and I certainly didn’t care for continuous shopping. Ugh! 

 

_Shut up! Can’t you see you have things in common with him? You’re better than she ever was._

 

What made me happy was listening to music or curling up to a good book or even better, getting on my bike and going where ever the hell I wanted. And Jasper had a Ducati too. I had to ask if he’d go with me to pick up Raven. Anything to spend more time with him. 

 

Wait, relationship?! Did I even _want_ a relationship? I had never wanted one, well, save for _him_ but I was just a naïve teenager back then so technically, no. This was a man, who has seen so much in his life. When I knew him back then, he was good-looking but now, he was more than just good looks. He was confident, cocky and sexy as hell. He was also intriguing and showed a tender side that I didn’t think he showed to many people. At least, I hope not. I don’t think I was just another notch on his bedpost. His words he spoke earlier, echoed in my brain. “ _I don’t want to rush into things given my past record on relationships but what we shared earlier? I don’t take that lightly either.”_ It gave me hope that he’d want something more. I was willing to dive into it as well. I wanted to take things slow but speed things up at the same time. God, I felt like a fucking walking contradiction. 

 

A relationship, something I had figured would be a long time coming; if at all. So long as I remained a Volturi guard though, a relationship wasn't critical for companionship. My sisters were awesome and we had lots of fun. The other guards were great too. We were all a family. We worked hard and played just as hard. So long as I had that, the idea of a relationship was not something I had to have. 

 

But now, with Jasper, I felt a connection with him. Did he feel it too?

 

The sky was brightening and Jasper sat up to look out onto the horizon. I reached over, already missing his touch, and placed my hand on his lower back to gain his attention. 

 

I wanted to know more about the man sitting next to me. What better way than to see his place. I was nervous as hell though and started moving around like I was still a human. 

 

“Um, Jasper?” 

 

He turned around and the pitch of his voice matched mine. “Isabella?”

 

“Is your place… I mean, what is your place like?” 

 

He smiled as he described his it. It certainly sounded a lot less pretentious than this place. I mean, I did like the giant tub and the balcony was nice but still, this was a little too much. At his invite, I ran around and gathered a few things to put into a duffel bag; some clothes, my motorcycle jacket, some bagged blood, just in case he didn’t have any and of course a couple bottles of pure grain alcohol and other necessities. I even changed to some clothes that were better suited in case I needed to scale the mountain. 

 

He took my bag with one hand and held my hand in the other as we walked out of my apartment and out into the city. We walked at human speed under the street lamps until we reached a darkened street. I was ready to run out to his place, since running was one of my favorite things to do as a vampire. He grabbed my hand and we ran about a mile before he stopped and pulled me into an embrace.  

 

“Follow me, darlin’,” he said as he smacked me on the ass and took off laughing.

 

I was fast but he was a little bit faster. I had no trouble keeping up with him even though I was almost a couple seconds behind. We raced through town and I couldn’t help but laugh as I felt the cool breeze and smelled the salt of the harbor. This was so much better than running around Volterra in the middle of the night. We crossed the main bridge and headed east towards the mountain he had pointed out. It certainly looked like I chose my clothes correctly for climbing. 

 

Watching Jasper run was breathtaking. Lean, muscular and a grace that reminded me of a panther. Fuck he was beautiful. I just stared at him as I followed; not really paying attention to where I was going and I nearly ran into him as he abruptly stopped. Had he not turned around and caught me, I probably would have collided with him, causing a loud noise possibly drawing attention ourselves. 

 

“Darlin’,” he gave me that smirking grin and I nearly melted. “I felt some lust comin’ off of you and I hope that it was for me and not for the local wildlife?” he whispered, his breath right along my neck just below my ear. 

 

Oh fuck, I nearly melted. I knew he was teasing me so I decided to play along with it. “Jasper,” I murmured, my voice a little husky. “I confess, I was lusting after the howler monkeys. They’re so hot.” 

 

“Well, darlin’, maybe we can find one for you, seein’ how you want one so badly.” He was trailing kisses along my neck now and I was having a hard time concentrating on him, my surroundings and my shield. 

 

“Su-sure, Jasper.” I bit my lip and shut my eyes as his lips continued on the other side of my neck. 

 

I felt his finger tilt my chin as his lips nipped at mine before kissing me hard. That feeling of being so close to him, that strange pull from within my chest; everything seemed to converge in our lips. He pulled me tighter and lifted me off the ground. My legs wrapped around him automatically. We continued to kiss each other while he ran us up a trail. We were now at the bottom of his mountain and he pinned my back against the rock wall before ending our kiss. I looked at him in wonder. 

 

Had I had more confidence, I probably would have let him feel everything I was beginning to feel. But I didn't; I was fucking scared. This was my heart we were talking about and from past experience, I wasn’t just going to open up my heart willingly, so soon, even if I wanted to. I felt so conflicted. I needed to get to know him first and foremost. As much as I just wanted to give into my feelings and just let him in, I couldn’t. I won’t. I wanted to know more about him and I wanted him to know about me. Forget walking contradiction. My mind was spinning like a fucking newborn’s all over again. 

 

“Darlin’, let’s get up to the top of the mountain and continue this. I want to show you the sunrise. Do you want to run with me again?” 

 

I don’t think I was capable of speaking at that point. My mind was spinning, that kiss was just that good and it held so much more. I nodded and grabbed his hand again as we ran up the narrow dirt road that was probably just wide enough for one vehicle at a time. 

 

The view from the other side of the mountain was just as spectacular as the city and harbor side; lush green jungle with a lake down below. I heard rushing water that sounded like a waterfall. It must have been directly underneath us as the water patterns indicated. Animals in the trees, not just the monkeys but birds and other creatures were starting to wake up from the night and feed. The scent of tropical flowers floated up as we rounded the corner and reached a steel door built into the mountain. Was this it? We haven’t quite reached the top yet so it couldn’t be it. 

 

“Garage.”

 

I nodded and let him guide me up the path. We got to the clearing and I was immediately? impressed. The house was built into the mountains with a beautiful view of the whole city. Panels of smoked glass lined a wall and I could see a lot of care had been taken to keep the house from being noticed from down below. 

 

“We’ll go in after, if that is ok?” Jasper asked as he placed the bag near a set of doors and led me towards the mountain’s edge. 

 

I sat on the ground with my arms wrapped around my knees. Jasper sat next to me as we watched the sunrise in silence. As the colors swirled in the sky and the golden pink graced the water below, I greeted him in my mind as I did nearly every day. Today was no different but at the same time, it was. I was here with someone who was beginning to play a huge part in my life, saying hello to the one that would always be a part of me. I was compelled to let Jasper in and decided that this memory was a good place to start. There were no other vampires involved with this memory, so I figured it wouldn’t lead to questions I wasn’t ready to answer just yet. 

 

“This is my favorite time of day,” I whispered quietly as I continued staring down towards the city and the harbor. 

 

I slowly dropped my shield so it was no longer at full strength. It was, as Janey liked to call it, just hovering over me. I was risking a lot but I also felt like I could gain even more. I took a deep breath before continuing. 

 

“It was spring break of my senior year. Charlie was out patrolling when he received reports of underage drinking and a bonfire around La Push. I was at home, having had my wisdom teeth taken out the day before.” I shut my eyes as the memory of that night replayed in my head.

 

“It must have been around midnight when I got a call from one of his deputies and then he stopped by to see me soon after. As you know, they don’t just call or come over unless things were bad. Things had gotten rowdy between some kids from school and some of the boys from the nearby reservation. By the time Charlie got to the beach, gunfire had broken out.” The anger and shock from that night came back and my voice shook. 

 

“Charlie tried to stop them and call for backup but they were drunk or high or both. He was shot multiple times and had to be airlifted to Harborview in Seattle. That fucking Newton asshole and his friend Eric were dead. So were Jacob and Paul from the Quileute tribe.” 

 

I felt his arms around me then and I leaned against him as I painfully continued my story. “I rode with Deputy Stevens into the city because I was still doped up from the pain killers. When we got there, Charlie was in surgery. They operated on him for hours. During that time, I called Renee and she said she’d be there first thing. Bitch never showed up; my own fucking mother.” 

 

Jasper picked me up and settled me on his lap. I immediately curled up against him. I found comfort inhaling his scent as I continued. Since I had dropped my shield completely, my feelings were all out there for him.

 

“They wheeled him into ICU late that afternoon and doctors said it was still too soon to say what his chances were. I just sat and waited and hoped. Deputy Stevens called me that evening to say that witnesses weren’t saying exactly why the gunfight broke out. The stories ranged from just being stupid, to fighting about girls, to who had the better cars. Being that they were all underage and the Chief of Forks was involved, I wasn’t surprised. So I continued to just sit and wait. It was early morning when he woke up and looked at me. I saw him move his hand motioning for me to come closer.” I felt the tears welling up in my eyes now, it never failed, even now when tears would never fall, they would well up. 

 

Jasper continued to hold me tightly and send me comfort. I swallowed hard and took a breath before continuing. “I put my hand in his and he looked like he wanted to say something. I had to buzz the nurse in so they could remove his breathing tube. As the sun started to wash the room with light, he gave me a huge smile and said, ‘Bells, I’ll always love you.’ His voice was scratchy and barely above a whisper and then... and then he was gone.”  My body was wracked with sobs as I remembered that moment. 

 

“She never showed up for the funeral either. I was alone,” I brokenly whispered against his neck. “I sat there and received his flag, by myself.”

 

Even though my human memories weren’t as clear as they would be with my vampire senses, I made damn sure I kept this memory during my change. 

 

“So... so if I ever get an opportunity to see the sun rising, I take it and imagine my Daddy looking down at me.” 

 

He held me and sent his comfort and affection my way. I felt raw, exposed but also grateful for him. 

 

“I’ve never told anybody that story before. Before my change, I recorded some memories and my sisters heard them but never directly. Nobody has...” my voice trailed off. I didn’t think I needed to explain anymore. I was certain he could feel my vulnerability, devastation, and isolation; I lost not just my dad but the person I had considered my mom that day. 

 

“If you let me, you’ll never feel alone ever, Isabella,” he vowed as he leaned his head towards mine and looked me straight in the eyes. There was such a fierce determination and then I felt what I saw as his feelings slowly washed over me.

 

I leaned forward so our foreheads touched. Sharing our feelings like this was so intimate but it seemed to fit. “Jasper, I’m scared,” I whispered; it was all I was able to say. 

 

“Babe, I am too. I have never felt somethin’ this strong before and I’d be lyin’ if I said I wasn’t the least bit scared either. Anytime one of us feels like it is too fast, let’s make it known.” He kissed me quickly before adding, “Thank you for sharin’ that with me.” 

 

We sat like that for a while and I slowly eased my shield back to hover mode. I wasn’t quite ready yet to leave it completely off, but I didn’t want to feel like I was shutting him out either. I looked past his shoulder and saw the glass, metal, and stone structure.

 

“Would you like a tour of my house, Ms. Charles?” Jasper asked, as he held onto me and got up. 

 

I smiled at the formality. “Why, yes Mr. Whitlock. I would be delighted,” I said with a really bad Scarlett O’Hara like accent.

 

He shook his head with a smile as he walked us back towards the doors and grabbed my bag  off the ground.  He held onto me as he reached for the door handle and before letting me down next to him and and stepped back a little so I could take a look. 

 

The glass windows let in the warmth and sunlight causing us to sparkle just a little as I took in Jasper’s house. Exposed dark wood beams and worn leather couches gave it that gentleman’s hunting lodge feel but he mixed it with more modern pieces made of metal and glass. Some of the walls were plaster and others were actually the rock surface of the mountain. Against one long wall there were shelves lined with books. I walked over to them to see what interested Jasper and saw history books; Civil War and Military History were the most predominant. Metal shelves lined a wall that faced what I assumed to be the main entrance and I stopped as I stared at what was on them. 

 

There, sitting in neat little rows, were ceramic Dia de los Muertos skulls. Big ones, little ones, some with happy faces, and some without. Some of them were brightly colored and some were more somber looking. I could see the care and effort these artisans took in creating their pieces. I didn’t expect to see them but at the same time, I wasn’t surprised either. I seemed to fit the man who was standing next to me still holding onto my duffel bag. 

 

“Jasper, this place is so you.” I looked up and grinned. “I really love the feel of it.” 

 

This place was all Jasper and I could feel it. It was comfortable and the furniture wasn’t the cheap build it from a kit stuff but it wasn’t heavily ornate either. This was a house you could kick your feet up on a table and not think anything of it. It was so different than my current place.

 

I took my bag from him, heading into the kitchen and I heard him following me. I had hoped he owned a fridge so I could store the bags of blood in there and was relieved to see that he did. Before opening it though, I really hoped that he didn’t purchase actual food in an effort to “blend in”. I almost shut my eyes as I pulled the handle and nearly let out a sigh of relief when I saw the empty wire shelves. I was glad that I also packed a little sauce pan to heat them up and a pitcher. I doubted he had those on hand. I heard his chuckle as I pulled out the bottles of grain alcohol and just placed them on the granite counter top. I took his hand and immediately felt more at ease. It was as though we were somehow connected and in order to make us whole and complete, we had to be touching. 

 

“Is there more, Jasper?” 

 

He smiled and nodded as he grabbed the bag and tossed it onto the couch before leading me through the rest of the house. He stopped half-way down the hall and faced the rock surface. 

 

“Darlin’, if you ever want to come up here, you’re more than welcome to,” he said as he punched the code into a previously hidden panel and let me into his communications room. 

 

There was a low hum of computers on one side and surveillance equipment that had been dismantled over on a metal table at the far end. Wires crisscrossed above us and I couldn’t even begin to think what all of this was for. I must have been sending him some confusion and he turned towards me and grinned before putting his arm around my shoulder and pulling me close.  

 

“Those are wires to make sure everything is secure coming in and out of here. Anytime you need to call Volterra, you can be sure this place is secure.” 

 

He led us out and pushed a button, with a pneumatic hiss the room was sealed. We walked down the hallway to what I guessed was his room, there was a huge metal bed that was up against the mountain facing the windows. There were also several guitars propped up on their stands. He led me into a narrow corridor that was cut into the rock. The wall was so narrow that Jasper’s shoulders missed touching them by only a few inches. When we got to the end of the corridor, soft lights glowed around us and I stood there with my mouth agape. It was like a warm cave and there was a huge pool of water that took up a lot of the space. There were some lights at the bottom of it and from what I could tell, the water must have been heated naturally from below. Next to the pool, was a giant walk in shower with multiple shower heads from every angle. Here I thought my giant tub was luxurious; this was fucking amazing.  

 

“Oh my god, Jasper, this room is fucking awesome!” I blurted out and quickly clapped a hand over my mouth as my voice echoed through the chamber. 

 

Jasper walked over to me and chuckled. “Would you like to relax in the tub? There’s a hot spring underneath that keeps the water nice and warm; much warmer than a regular bath and it feels good against our skin.” 

 

I nodded in response. This was probably what I needed after the emotional morning I had had, telling Jasper my story. He gave me a kiss and told me he needed to make a phone call but if I needed anything, to just holler. 

 

I stripped off my clothes and just left my bra and panties on before hopping into the water. The first thing I did was allow my body to sink into the very bottom and I sat there underwater for a while. This was probably the second favorite vampire thing I liked to do. After a while though, I had to surface. That pull from within my chest was almost painful and I was clenching the area; my fingers digging deep. I hadn’t felt it this strongly before and I was starting to get scared. 

 

If I hadn’t already felt so raw, I probably would have just jumped out of the pool but I felt almost paralyzed. Jasper. I needed him. 

 

“Jasper?” I called out desperately, hoping he hadn’t left the house. He said he’d be near but I was in a near panic with this feeling. Even though I didn’t need to breathe, I felt out of breath. 

 

He was in the water holding onto me not a second later. His hands and eyes roamed over me as if to make sure I was physically fine. I held onto him breathing him in and feeling that hollowness lessening. It hit me. That feeling must be associated with Jasper. But I wasn’t sure what it all meant. 

 

“Jasper, I’m fine now,” I started as I ran my hands down Jasper’s arms. “Now that you’re here.” I still sounded like I was trying to catch my breath.

 

“Darlin’, what happened just now? I felt panic and pain from you and...,” he paused as if to think of the words and I saw his hand was clenching his chest just has mine had. 

 

“I felt this empty feeling, did you feel it too?” I asked in wonder. “Right here.” I grasped at my chest and saw him nod. “I don’t understand what this means. I have never felt this way before.” 

 

“Isabella, I have never felt this before either. I am not sure what it means but I was plannin' on sendin’ an email to my brother Peter to see if he’d know when I felt my chest hurtin’ and feelin’ empty.” I could see he was starting to relax a little now. “Then I felt your panic and hurt so I rushed to make sure you were safe.” 

 

It was then that I realized he had run into the water fully clothed. I grabbed a hold of his thermal shirt and tugged. “And here I thought I was being silly wearing what I’m wearing.” 

 

He looked down and I saw a small smile on his face. “I guess I just reacted and didn’t think. My priority was you, Isabella, not the damn clothes, but you.” 

 

I saw that same determination on his face as earlier and felt his protectiveness as well as some affection and decided not to argue. Right now, I just wanted to be close to him. I grabbed his shirt again and pulled it off of him and tossed it onto the cavern floor. I would have helped him with his pants but I wasn’t sure if he’d misinterpret my actions. Given our emotional day so far, I just wanted to be close to him and nothing more. 

 

“Isabella, you alright, darlin’?” 

 

“Jasper? Can you just hold me? I just... I just need you,” I whispered so quietly, I wasn’t sure he heard me. 

 

“Always.” 

 

I watched as he took his boots and pants off, leaving his boxer briefs on before sitting down on a built in stone ledge under water. I sat on his lap and nuzzled his neck as he held me. 

 

“Jasper?” I asked, my face still burrowed against his neck. “So this feeling, your brother would know? How and why?” 

 

I felt and heard Jasper’s chuckle as he started explaining, “Peter has a knack of just knowin’ shit. Sometimes there are moments in time where somethin’ will happen and he’d see a snapshot of it. Other times, he’s like a fuckin’ walkin’ encyclopedia with his random trivial shit. Most of the times, he’s a crazy smart-ass fucker, but we’ve known each other a long ass time. Me, Peter, and his mate Charlotte.”

 

“Did you know them during the wars?” I was tracing a scar on his shoulder as I tried to figure all this out in my head. His eyes were closed as I traced another scar, a smile graced his face encouraging me to continue touching him. As if I could stop. 

 

“I did and they were the ones who rescued me out of that hellhole years later,” he replied. “They’ve known me the longest. And they are who I have considered my family, even with... you know.” And shrugged.

 

“I guess that is a sore subject for both of us?” I commented and started wondering if he played a part in their demise. 

 

“I will tell you and I want to tell you but I think we’ve both had enough emotional turmoil for today,” he said as he looked at me and brushed my hair back. “Besides, I am supposed to meet your baby soon?” 

 

He had a point, our day had been an emotional roller-coaster and I certainly didn’t need more of that. I may never get tired physically but my brain felt like it needed some down time. 

 

“Yes, besides I need to get back to town so I can rent a truck,” I replied. I was looking forward to having some fun. 

 

“Darlin, no need to rent a truck, I’ve got a pick up that’ll more than sufficient. C’mon, we’ll start gettin’ ready.” 

 

He got up and reached over to some towels he had in a basket nearby and handed me one. We dried off and walked out of the grotto and I ran to grab my bag for a change of clothes. Instead of running back down the trail to his garage, Jasper opened what I had thought were main doors and we stepped out onto a tiny courtyard. Where my apartment had a view of the cityscape, Jasper had the jungle in his courtyard. Tropical blooms, lush greenery, and a stream running through, everything was there, minus the animals. Hidden amongst the plants was another door that lead to an elevator and we took that down to Jasper’s garage. 

 

It wasn’t anything like the garage _they_ had back at Forks. Sure the place was immaculate but the vehicles were nothing like it at all. A sleek black Ducati and a dark grey pick-up truck with giant tires and chrome accents. Nothing else. No stupid Volvo or some crazy expensive car, just for special occasions. I stared at the truck, admiring the lines, when I felt his hand reach up and brush my chin like he was wiping something off. 

 

“What? Do I have dirt on my face?” I was a little confused having just stepped out of a bath not 10 minutes ago. 

 

“No darlin’, just wipin’ the drool off your chin,” he answered, chuckling at me. I pretended to pout and play punched his arm before giving him a wink. 

 

He quickly walked over to the door and opened it for me. We both knew I could very well do this on my own but knowing he’s a Southern man, I went with it and even let him help me up the truck. He climbed in and started the engine as I grabbed my sunglasses and slipped them on to hide my red eyes. 

 

“Where to, babe?” He turned to look at me through his mirrored lenses as he backed out of the garage. 

 

“The airport, it will arrive in the cargo terminal,” I replied continuing to look at him. I looked down and saw our hands entwined and smiled. As he drove us down the mountain, I thought back to this morning and I was glad that I had decided to take the gamble and let him in.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hank you DarkNnerdy for your support, as always. My pre-readers, JaspersBella and SparklingFae, thank you ladies for your feedback on this one. Mynxi, thank you so much for being the awesome beta that you are. You ladies FUCKING ROCK!
> 
> Once again, SM owns all the characters. I just gave them a cool sexy new story tell.

**CHAPTER 5**

 

_Songs:_

_Closer - Kings of Leon_

_I'm not Jesus – Apocalyptica_

 

_JPOV_

 

"I'm gonna make a phone call, if you need anything, just give me a holler." I gave her a kiss and headed out of the bath.

 

I was fallin' for her hard and fast and I knew it. As I headed out the rock corridor and back into my room, I thought about how much pain she was this morning when she opened up to me. I felt her emotions as she started to talk about her father; it was stronger than normal and when she dropped her shield completely, I braced myself as I felt all her pain, sorrow and loneliness. I knew her decision to let me in wasn't an easy one and vulnerability flowed thick around her.

 

I was fuckin' pissed when she told me how those assholes had shot her dad. I was glad they killed themselves as well. If they weren't dead already, I was ready to unleash my fury at them for causin' so much hurt to the woman that cried in my arms. Still, there was her mom. I had been tempted to ask about that situation and I am still curious but I didn't want to cause her any more pain. Nobody better dare fuckin' hurt my woman and think they can get away with it.

 

As I headed out the bedroom and towards the comm room, I thought about how I wanted to say more than the promise I had given her. I meant every damn word, when I told her that she would never be alone if she would let me be with her. I was scared at the idea of being with someone or even lettin' someone get close to me again and was glad I wasn't the only one that was apprehensive. I knew what I was feeling was much stronger and ran deeper than anything I had ever felt before. I would, if she were to ever ask, jump into a fiery volcano; I would do anything for her.

 

That strange feelin' deep within my chest was back and it was stronger than before. I didn't realize at first that I was rubbin' my hand over where my heart once beat until I felt my fingers diggin' into my flesh.

 

I punched the code into the panel and walked in still thinkin' of Isabella. Since this morning I noticed she's kept her shield up but it wasn't fully up like it was before. Her emotions were clearer. I knew this was her way of showing me, of lettin' me know, she trusted me. Trust. I felt that from her years ago when I helped her escape from James. She trusted me back then as well. Fuck, I needed to tell her about that fuckin' birthday party. That family not only tried their damnedest to ruin my life, they nearly caused me to destroy hers.

 

I wanted her to know me; to see me for who I was; not like the family that relied on visions or information from mind reader, to know all about a person. The Cullens all assumed I was nuthin' more than some pussy emo fucker who moped around the house all the time. They tried to break me down but little did they know, I wasn't that weak ass vampire they thought I was or would become.

 

There was a hollow feeling in my chest along with the pain. Fuck, even though I didn't need to breathe, I felt out of breath. This was probably close to how a human would feel havin' a heart attack. I grabbed my phone ready to call Peter but I couldn't do it. I didn't think I could even talk. I decided to email him instead.

 

_Peter –_

_I need to know about mates, pull and bite_

_Call or email me, ASAP_

_\- J_

 

Normally, Peter and I take the time to shoot the shit with our phone conversations and emails but this was botherin' me; the thoughts and this hurt comin' from my chest. Isabella called out for me and I quickly sent the message as her pain, panic and confusion hit me hard. I shot out of the fuckin' room like a bullet and ran straight to her.

 

After makin' sure she was ok, I held her. She needed me. As much as I would have loved to have been buried deep in her, she needed my comfort and I needed her in my arms. I got a little more comfortable and settled down into the water as we talked about Peter. We also talked about the feeling we both had and I hoped Peter would get back to me soon. Just knowin' she had that same hollow feeling was good though; I wasn't alone and I wasn't goin' crazy.

 

Bein' here in the hot water with her in my arms felt good. I felt calmer and I could tell she did too. I was glad that she was here and she wanted to see my place. Out of all the places I've lived, this was, by far, one of my favorite places. This was the first place I got after I left Forks. This was where I rediscovered who Jasper Whitlock was. To see and feel her reaction as she toured my house was something I'll never forget. She looked at each and every piece and looked at me as though she got me. I was hoping she'd take my offer and visit often. Hell, I'd be giddy if she never wanted to leave here.

 

_So much for wantin' to take things slow here, Whitlock._

 

I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sensation of her fingers tracing over some scars around my shoulder and collarbone. Like before when she touched them, there wasn't disgust coming off of her. I felt admiration, awe, lust and affection. If I was still human, I probably would be cryin' just knowin' she didn't feel an ounce of disgust, shame, or worse, pity. Every little thing she did just magnified how fucked up of a relationship I had with that pixie.

 

Those fuckin' Cullens! Fuck, we do need to talk about them soon as it seems everything seemed to revolve around them and the sooner we got this shit out of the way, the faster we could move on. I really wanted to tell her right now, but given the shit we both dealt with today, I thought it'd be best we wait another day. No doubt there would be some strong emotions comin' from both of us when I told her some of the sordid details I had learned.

 

As much as I wanted to stay in the water with her, I thought we both needed a good distraction. I knew she had somethin' to look forward to as did I. I was lookin' forward to seein' her on her bike.

 

I took her through my little rainforest courtyard before heading to the elevator. It was another hidden feature I created for this house. It was, in a sense, a reminder of the past several decades with the Cullens but this time, I didn't want any animals around.

 

That look on her face when I pretended to wipe drool off of her chin was hilarious. I liked that she took things in stride, like this morning when I teased her about the monkeys. It was always hard to joke around before, with those asses. If I tried to play a joke I'd get called out by the pixie bitch or better yet, the mind reader. The only one that remotely had fun was Emmett but he'd rather be playin' Xbox or watchin' sports.

 

The only time I ever had fun was when I was able to see Peter and Char. The pixie didn't like them so my visits were few and far between. As I headed down the mountain, I wondered if Isabella would ever want to visit them. I had a funny feeling that Peter and Isabella could become thick as fuckin' thieves if they ever got together.

 

I turned my iPod to shuffle and returned my hand in hers. I heard a snicker that grew into a laugh and then a full blown gut buster and turned to look at her. She was doubled over, howlin' with laughter and it was contagious.

 

"Darlin', what's so funny?"

 

"Ja-Jasper, did you hear the lyrics? The guy is talking about ticks on his woman!"

 

If she was still human, she probably would have had an unpleasant accident from laughing so damn hard.

 

I pulled her closer to me and kissed her hair.

 

"Well darlin', you want me to check you out for ticks?" I asked her while wagglin' my eyebrows causing her to laugh more.

 

"Jasper, ticks are scary enough, could you imagine the ones that would crawl and sic themselves on vampire skin?"

 

Okay, I fuckin' shuddered at the thought of that. I might be a predator and on top of the fuckin' food chain but I have seen ticks and they are nasty ass fuckers. I wasn't really paying much attention havin' been grossed out like that when I felt something brush along my arm. I was ready to smack it to bits when she started laughin' again. I glared at her and she gave me a wink before sitting closer to me and kissing my cheek. Yep, thick as fuckin' thieves.

 

I felt her excitement when I pulled into the parking lot of the cargo terminal. We immediately went to the front counter and she spent a good five minutes going through the paperwork at human speed. I could feel her annoyance with the airline employee. If he wasn't there watchin' her, she would have been done already and we'd be pullin' my truck onto the loading dock. I sent the man nausea and watched as he ran to the back in a panic.

 

Another employee arrived at the counter just as Isabella finished placin' her final signature on the shipping documents. We were told to pull our vehicle around the back so the crate could be loaded. We walked out and I helped her into the truck. I liked that she indulged me and let me be the gentleman I was once raised to be.

 

"Jasper? What did you do to that man that had him running to the back so fast?" Isabella asked, once I started the engine.

 

"I just sent him some flu symptoms. He was annoyin' ya so I thought I'd help." I shrugged.

 

"Oh that was hilarious! The look on his face was classic. Thank you, I was this close to throwing my shield at him." She winked and we could hear the fork lift comin' in our direction.

 

Once the crate arrived, we made sure nothin' was damaged and watched as they loaded it onto the back of my truck. I then headed out towards the nearest gas station.

 

"Isabella, do you have a garage to store your bike?" I asked.

 

"I don't know. Can we go back to your place and figure out things there?"

 

I smiled and nodded givin' her a kiss before gettin' out of the truck and grabbin' the gas can from my toolbox in the back for the bikes. When I got back in, she was sittin' in the middle of the truck and I was more than pleased. She leaned against me as we headed back to my house and I couldn't help but think how fuckin' lucky I was to be here with her.

 

We got back and quickly unloaded the bike along with some of her other boxes that were packed in the shipping crate. I wasn't sure what she had in there but she asked if she could keep a few things here and I nodded and told her she was welcome to leave things here if she'd like.

 

I grabbed the gas can I filled earlier from the truck and filled up Raven's tank. I was toppin' the tank on my bike when she came back and was nearly knocked on my ass by her outfit. She had biker boots on with some tight dark jeans and a motorcycle style jacket. Under her arm was a silver and black helmet.

 

"Hurry up, Whitlock let's go for a ride," she said excitedly.

 

I shrugged off the flannel shirt I had, leavin' my black t-shirt on and walked over to my bike and threw on my jacket before grabbin' my helmet. Even though it was an overcast day, the helmet helped hide our eyes from the humans. Besides, I really hated the feel of bugs hittin' my face.

 

"Which bike should we take, Jasper?" I wasn't expectin' that and it felt nice knowin' that she wanted to be close to me.

 

"How about ladies choice tonight and, if you want, we can take the other one tomorrow?"

 

I watched as she looked at my bike and then at hers before gettin' on the back of mine.

 

The bike ride was what we both needed. I set out into the city and cruised along the water. I told her some of the local stories and legends about the area. I pointed out some of the seedier parts of town and explained that I usually came here for meals. She told me that at Volterra, most meals were brought in, tourists and such and her sister Heidi was one who lured in most of them. The kings, their wives and some of the older guards like Felix and Demetri preferred their meals brought in, but her sisters and some of the younger guards preferred to hunt for the meals within the city walls or sometimes would ride out to neighborin' towns to feed. Her diet was very similar to mine in that she didn't feed from children or innocent ones. She liked the thrill of the hunt and she said havin' tourists brought in just wasn't the same as drug users or other criminals.

 

Her hands were splayed on my chest and her thighs were against mine as we continued drivin' around. I'd be lyin' if I said I wasn't tempted to park off somewhere and fuck her on my bike. But there would be plenty of time for that.

 

We were now headin' back and I let her drive this time. I don't usually ride bitch but I certainly didn't mind it as Isabella maneuvered the bike around the city and back towards my house. I tried not to think about her thighs and how I wanted them wrapped around me grippin' me close to her. I wrapped her hair around my fist and breathed in her scent as she started up the mountain. I must have been projectin' lust because I heard her moanin' as I ran my hands down her ribs and hips before settin' them on her thighs. She stopped the engine and I undid her helmet before spinnin' her around so her legs wrapped around me. I undid my helmet and pulled her close against me.

 

I was unzippin' her jacket when the opening lines of "Ramblin' Man" started playin'.

_Lord I was born a ramblin' man, tryin' to make a livin' and doin' the best I can_

_And when it's time for leavin', I hope you'll understand, that I was born a ramblin' man._

 

That damn cockblockin' brother of mine.

 

I grabbed the phone from my pocket and growled, "Peter? What d'ya want?" I looked at Isabella apologetically and she gave me a smile squeezing my hand.

 

"Hey don't get testy with me, you contacted me, remember? Is Cookie there? She might want to listen. I'll wait until you get settled."

 

I rolled my eyes and handed Isabella the phone as I got the bike in and we headed back up to the house. She was just starin' at my phone like it was about to reach up and bite her. I didn't blame her, even though I tried to explain Peter's gift, you really couldn't understand it until you've experienced it a few times.

 

I led us to the comm room; my hand on the small of Isabella's back, underneath her jacket. When we got inside, I set the phone down between us so we could both hear what Peter had to say. I didn't need my gift to see that she was nervous as she reached over and grabbed my hand.

 

"Okay, Peter. Isabella and I are in the comm room. You have anything?" I really hoped he had something substantial and wasn't gonna bullshit us.

 

"I sure do, first of all, you and Cookie are mates," Peter chuckled over the phone.

 

I looked at Isabella, as she mouthed out the word 'cookie'. I've known Peter for so long that I was practically immune his knack for comin' up with nicknames.

 

"Cookie?" I asked over the phone. I really didn't see the connection so I had to ask.

 

"She's tough, ain't she? She's a tough cookie!" he replied like it was the most fuckin' obvious thing in the world.

 

Isabella rolled her eyes and tried not to giggle. She cleared her throat and asked, "So, Peter, um, what exactly does it mean to be mates? Isn't that the same as being a spouse?"

 

She looked at me and clasped her other hand on mine. She was a little anxious but she was also excited by what we were about to hear.

 

Peter continued, "Bein' mates and spouse can be, but are not always the same. While you might care for your spouse deeply, you might not be bonded or connected to them in a way that a mate would. This bond runs deep and in a sense, connects your souls together. Where one ends the other begins. Now, take The Major there, Cookie, he had a spouse but never had that connection with her like he does with you. If she were still around today, what you two share, would surpass it exponentially."

 

Isabella stared at the phone and growled at the mention of her.

 

I was glarin' at the phone because he continued to use that inane nickname of The Major. I've tried to tell him that those days were over but the fucker never listened. I used to wonder and still do, on occasion, if I used enough venom durin' his change.

 

"Don't you growl at me, Cookie, I'm just tellin' it like it is. You'd rather me lie about this? Now where was I? Oh yeah, so you and The Major are mates. Have y'all felt that pull? I'm gonna assume that you have, given the terse email I got earlier. That is a mate's pull and only your mate can feel it. While The Major could feel the pain associated with the pull from another mated couple, he couldn't feel the pull itself. It can hurt like a motherfucker and you'll want to be near each other to relieve that feelin'. Now, it won't be until you've claimed each other that the feelin' will lessen. That isn't to say that you lose the bond or the pull, but because your mate has marked you and you've marked them, a little of their venom will run through you and will, in a sense keep things calmer."

 

Isabella shook her head and started rubbin' her temples like she had a headache. I didn't blame her, I was overwhelmed by all that information as well.

 

I wasn't sure what to say. I knew what I was feelin' was strong but didnt' realize it connected us in such a profound way but it was all startin' to make sense.

 

"Peter, is there no choice in the matter?" Isabella whispered, before looking up at me. "I don't mean... I mean, I don't want to run away but I don't know if I'm ready to jump in so fast." She continued lookin' at me and she was worried. "We've barely known each other and now we're supposed to be connected by our souls and be claimed?"

 

I pulled her close and sent her reassurance. I wasn't sure I was ready to jump into this either, just because of a pull or whatever.

 

"Cookie, you always have a choice in the matter," Peter continued. "A lot of this is based on our instincts but we were all human at one time and we have freewill. If you both don't want to be with each other, you can fight it. Now mind you, sayin' and doin' are two separate things. Your souls, especially if they recognize each other, will make it harder and more painful to leave, but it can be done. But in essence there is a choice. Now that bein' said, if you've already claimed each other, it is near impossible to break it."

 

"So Peter, what if we didn't want to rush into things? Is it possible to take things a little slow?" I was practically willin' him in my head to say yes. I looked at Isabella and she smiled and nodded indicatin' that she would much prefer that route as well.

 

Peter continued, "It is, but in time, the desire to claim each other will be too strong to resist. As long as you stay relatively close to each other, you should be fine as you get to know each other. Now, that doesn't mean you can go around through the ends of time ignorin' the feelin either. If you do, it'll eat you up bad. Y'all are good people, get to know each other and talk. Y'all have a lot of shit to talk about."

"Peter, how do you know all of this? Is Charlotte your mate?" Isabella asked. I didn't blame her, she didn't know Peter from Adam and was just told that I was her mate and she was mine.

 

"Yes ma'am!" he replied. You could practically see that crazy grin of his too. "Char and I have been mates for a long time. We didn't get married until a few years ago but we've been together for a long ass time."

We both heard a telltale smack then followed by Peter grovellin' to Char. She laughed and picked up the phone.

 

"Jasper, Cookie, sorry about Captain Dumbass there. Cookie, I'm Char and yes, we're mates and yes we just got married. I love this big lug and he's my world. Even when he's bein' a fuckin' dumbass he's my world. Cookie, if you and Jasper are truly mates then I am very happy you found each other. Bonds are strong and sugar, if you're bonded with the Volturi, you might find that the connection will no longer be as strong as before. You'll still be loyal to them so long as it doesn't go against your mate's allegiance. It is also the same with family bonds, your ultimate bond will always be your mate."

 

"Charlotte? Char? Hi, I'm Isabella, nice to meet you. Is what he said all true about bonds and being claimed?" Isabella asked.

 

"Yes and please, it's Char. He might not always be eloquent but he was tellin' the truth. So long as you're honest with another and recognize that there is a need to be close, you should do fine. And gettin' claimed, it ain't a onetime thing. You'll both find the urge and desire to bite again and again once you do. I know you're probably confused. Hell, I was too, so get Jasper to give you my number and we can girl talk of ya want. I am really happy for you two."

 

And with that, the phone conversation ended.

 

We both sat starin' at the phone for a while before lookin' at each other.

 

"So mates, huh?" Isabella whispered quietly as she looked up at me with a small, shy smile.

I could feel happiness, concern, fondness, excitement, fear, and nervousness comin' off of her. I was feelin' pretty much the same thing.

 

I nodded at her and brushed my hand against her cheek. "I guess we are, darlin'. It explains quite a bit." I had an idea that could help us relax a bit. "You wanna help me with that drink you made for us? I am probably not that good with the stove but I can certainly help."

Isabella nodded and grinned. "That sounds perfect. Can we hang out in your courtyard? I really liked the sound of the running water and I think it would be a cozy place to talk."

 

We got the beverages made and she brought out the bottle. We laughed when we realized I didn't have any glasses but for some strange reason, I had a funnel so she refilled the bottle with what we could and left the rest in the pitcher for later. I grabbed a blanket from a closet and we headed outside. I didn't have any furniture so I spread the blanket out near an out croppin' of rocks that I often used as a backrest.

 

I sat down and pulled Isabella close to me. We took turns takin' a pull from the bottle.

 

I kissed her hair and wrapped my arms around her. "Isabella, what Peter said was true. I never felt anything like this with anybody. Especially _her_. I don't want to fight it but I don't want to rush it either. I really like you and want to get to know you first before our instincts completely take over."

 

I had my eyes closed as I admitted to her what I've been tryin' to fight and deny myself. I felt her turn around and then her hands were on my face. I slowly opened my eyes and saw her tear filled ones lookin' at me.

 

"Jasper, this feeling has been overwhelming me and I've been battling myself over embracing or denying it. But I like you a lot too, and given what I felt earlier today, I don't think I want to deny myself either. But like I said earlier, I am a bit scared. I've never been in a relationship before, a real one, that is."

She wrapped her arms around me and we sat holdin' each other for a while.

 

"So Jasper, about this biting thing? I was tempted when we were out in the villa," she said as she started to draw patterns on me with her fingers. "I thought it was weird because I've never had that urge before."

 

"Babe, I never have either," I admitted. "That night was the first time I ever wanted to, without a second thought, but I wasn't sure what that meant other than I wanted to make you mine and I fought the urge. I wasn't gonna do that against your wishes and I wasn't sure if you'd be offended by it."

 

She took another pull from the bottle and handed it to me.

 

"Thank you for holding off, for now. I think that would have freaked me the fuck out, if I was claimed without knowing what it meant. And why would you think I'd be offended?"

 

"Darlin', I wasn't sure how you'd feel if I tried to bite and mark you, you'd scar."

 

I felt her anger then and I quickly added, "Now that I've gotten a chance to know a little more about you, I can safely say I don't' think you'd be offended."

 

"Fair enough. Jasper? Did she... she didn't like them, did she? Your scars, I mean. Fuck, I'm sorry I don't mean to pry and this is going to open up a can of worms, isn't it?" she asked, stumblin' over her words.

 

It occurred to me that even though she has been a vampire for a few years now, she'd still retained some human qualities that showed up when she was nervous and it made her all the more endearing.

 

I sighed and took another gulp from the bottle. "No, she didn't. You're the only one that has ever touched my scars that way. She never liked them or wanted to look at them. They're a part of me and yet everybody in _that_ family wanted to pretend they weren't there."

 

"Fucking asshole pricks," Isabella muttered under her breath. "They are a part of you, just like mine are a part of me. I'm proud of mine even though I've never seen a real battle. You've been through so much Jasper and yet here you are. I am fucking proud of you. And I think your scars make you even sexier than you already are."

 

I could tell she meant every damn word; her eyes and her emotions said it.

"You're fuckin' amazing, Isabella." I lifted her chin and kissed her as I held her tightly against me, not wantin' to let her go. I was overwhelmed by her and what she was feelin', there was so much conviction in her words and in her eyes and what I felt from her nearly tripled if not more; even with her partially shielded.

 

All of a sudden, I felt a sudden fit of rage comin' off of her. I released my grip from her and she got up.

"That fucking son-of-a-bitch lying asshole!" she seethed; her chest was heaving and she looked absolutely murderous.

 

I was a little scared but also a little turned on by her ferocity.

 

"Peter. Your brother Peter just said that being mated was like our souls were connected," she muttered. She was pacin' back and forth now and I sat there sendin' her calm but she must have pulled her shield back up because it didn't seem like it was reachin' her.

 

"Darlin?" I asked cautiously. I wasn't about to rattle her cage so I stayed low and continued watchin' her.

"Your brother said we have souls. But that...that asshole Edward said we didn't have souls," she spat. "He also said we were mates. He was lying, wasn't he? He lied."

 

She was now back down next to me and she looked at me practically beggin' me to tell her the truth.

I grasped her hand and slowly pulled her into my arms. The last thing I wanted to do was piss her off even further.

 

"Babe, I didn't want to get into the whole Cullen story tonight after everything we've been through today. I will say that I felt at times that he did believe that he was soulless and a monster. As far as mates, I seriously doubt that family had any fuckin' idea what 'mate' really meant. None of them from what I could tell and from what Peter described to us tonight, were ever mated. I think they were more spouse than mates. I promise you, Isabella, I will tell you all I know of them. For now, I need to apologize for your fucked up birthday. I'm so fuckin' sorry for that."

 

Isabella turned to look at me and stared at me like I had grown another head. She sighed and moved to straddle my hips before placin' her hands on my chest. She stared at me and I felt her emotions hit me full bore as she dropped her shield completely.

 

Honesty, trust, strong affection, and anger rolled off her in waves.

 

"Jasper, you have no reason to apologize. It was never your fault. I had a feeling back then that it wasn't but I had no way of proving it and then of course, you all left soon after. Now, I know without any doubt that you weren't at fault."

 

"How do you know for sure? It took me nearly a year to put all the pieces together," I asked her quietly.

 

"Jasper, that was one drop of blood and I was his fucking singer. One fucking drop of blood would not have sent you into a bloodlust craze. I know, I've been starved before remember? When we were in those cages they didn't just leave us alone in there, they tempted us with vials of fresh blood, broken bodies anything to see if we'd break. That is why it was like P.O.W. training."

 

If I wasn't in awe of her already, I would have been after learnin' a little more about what she went through to become who she is today. She did have a point that I didn't see until a few months after the ill fated party.

 

"Isabella, you are correct. One fuckin' drop of blood would not have set me off like that. I felt hunger but it wasn't from me and I was tryin' to get you out of the way when it hit me. All of them. Especially after your arm was cut."

 

"Those assholes!" she growled out. "I thought they were family." Her head dropped down and if I didn't have my vampire hearin' I probably wouldn't have heard her next words. "It was planned wasn't it?"

I nodded before answerin, "It would appear that it was."

 

"Fuck, I wish I had a hand at their death. If I find out who did that, I'm gonna shake his hand for what they did to me and especially to you because I am guessing that this was not the first time they fucked you over."

 

I saw the fire in her eyes and she looked fuckin' deadly. I vowed never to get on her bad side as I wrapped my arms around her again and sent her calm, reassurance, and a taste of my feelings for her.

 

"Instead of shakin' his hand, darlin', would you rather be mated to him instead?"

 

 

 

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> his is AU, alternate universe, so what you might have read about mates from the books or in other fanfics, I’ve modified it a little; and added my own take on it. There was some concern as to why Jasper didn’t know about Bella being his mate. Yes there were signs but keep in mind, the Cullens weren’t mates in the true meaning as Peter tried to explain in the last chapter. 
> 
> Mates, in this story, are bonded and the pull they feel towards each other is something only they are able to feel. So Jasper would be able to feel the love or the pain associated with being mated but not the pull itself unless it was his own bond. Why did they seem at odds with the bond? It is a new feeling. Think about it; if you’ve fallen in love, don’t you start wondering if you’re making the right move as well? That was something I hope I conveyed that even though the bond is based on instinct, they were still humans and as such, will want to analyze and dissect it before accepting. Besides, I didn’t want it to be like imprinting (shudders). 
> 
> In order to fully recognize the mating bond, they will need to claim each other... and mark each other.
> 
> So hopefully, it will explain the concept a little more. 
> 
> Thank you DarkNNerdy for your awesomeness. JaspersBella and SparklingFae for your pre-reading skills. Mynxi for being the awesome beta that you are. You women rock and Jasper says you can hang out in his house if you want. :)
> 
> Thank you IDreamofEddy for creating the Peter Whitlock that I’ve based this one on. I’ve added my own twist to it as well.

**CHAPTER 6**

_**Songs:** _

_**Until it Sleeps - Metallica** _

_**Weapon of Choice - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club** _

 

 

**JPOV**

 

After her initial shock of findin’ out that I was the one who burned down the Cullens, Isabella laughed and confided to me that she wanted to go back to Forks one day and dance over their ashes. I promised that I would take her back and soon. She was curious and wanted to know why they all went back to Forks. She said by that time, she was already at Volterra bein’, as she called it, a crazy ass newborn.

 

I explained that Carlisle was a guest speaker at some medical convention and everybody all decided to come out for a quick visit. It was only gonna be over a weekend and they weren’t plannin’ to be around town, for the most part. I told her honestly that although I heard mentions of her name and Charlie’s, I didn’t pay much attention because I was workin’ on a plan to get back at those assholes for all they had been doin’ to me.

 

Isabella curled up against me as I told her how their plans started unravellin’; once we all left Forks. I felt her steady stream of anger, betrayal and protectiveness as I started to tell her everything that I knew. Her shield was down and I could tell she was pissed as hell over that family that betrayed me and lied to her.

 

“ Esme was the first to break. Isabella, she genuinely adored you and was very distraught over the fact that we left in such a manner. She started to get mentally unstable when we ended up in Alaska. I don’t know if you knew this, but Carlisle and Esme thrived on human contact and the fact that there weren’t many humans around, she felt lost. Add to the fact that she thought of you as a daughter and you were gone, her mind went. First she went into a depression of sorts. I was told that it was like she reverted back to the moment she lost that infant child so many years ago. She started to starve herself in between feedings until her eyes were pitch black and the circles under were like deep bruises. Because she was starvin’ herself, she grew weak and I was able to feel the deceit that she had been hiding, comin’ off of her.”

 

I felt some sorrow comin’ off of Isabella and set her on my lap before holdin’ her against me. I breathed her in and continued my story.

 

“ I started to spend more time talkin’ to her so I could gather information in her weakened state. As much as I wanted to quickly break her, I took my time so I wouldn’t draw attention. I learned that the masterminds behind it all were Edward and Alice.”

 

Isabella growled loudly at the mention of their names and got up and started pacin’ again.

 

“ Fucking assholes!” she muttered. “Fuck, I wish I could have torn them apart and marked their pretty faces and spit at them before I burned them slowly.” She stopped pacin’ and turned to me with a devious dark smirk on her lips. “Jasper, I have a confession. Every time I have the opportunity to play with humans, I have always imagined it was them that I would slice and bite into and tear apart.”

 

Fuck, my jeans got tight when she said that. This woman, no; my woman was definitely all for me and I wondered how I got so fuckin’ lucky.

 

She took a deep breath and then settled down once again on my lap.  “ I’m sorry for the outburst,” she said with a sheepish smile on her face. She was calmer now, her emotions seemed like they were partially shrouded again. I handed her the bottle and she took a deep swig before handin’ it back to me.

 

“ Babe, never be sorry. I knew this was gonna be a sore subject for us, so stop me if it gets too much.”

She nodded and took my hand into hers. 

 

I continued talkin’ about Esme. “Over the next few months, she would let more and more things slip the longer she went in-between feedin’. I found out it was a family effort and it had been going on for almost as long as I had been with them; nearly six fuckin’ decades. It was in an effort to control me. They were all taught to feed me mistrust and lack of faith in order to hide their game. I nearly burned them right then but I ended up runnin’ out of the house and nearly destroyed a fuckin’ forest during my rage. I needed to find out more and why, before I set those assholes on fire.”

 

Isabella was holdin’ onto me now and runnin’ her fingers through my hair. She was still pissed off but she was also sad.

 

“ Isabella, there is no need to be sad, I am here and they aren’t.”

 

“ Jasper, family just don’t... they aren’t supposed to treat other family like that. They are supposed to be there for you and not kick you further when you’re down.”

 

I had a feelin’ she was reliving some of her memories with the woman she used to call her mother. We held each other for a while listening to the sounds of the jungle below and the gentle trickle of the stream that flowed through my courtyard.

 

“ So by this time, Esme was no longer of any use to me. Her mind had seriously deteriorated, in fact, she was in such a weakened state not just from hunger but mentally, that she couldn’t attend the dinner where Carlisle was a guest speaker the last time we were at Forks. I started to keep my thoughts and decisions as neutral as possible while I studied the rest of that family and discovered that the next weakest family member was Emmett.”

 

I looked at Isabella to make sure she was alright before I went on. She smiled at me and rested her head against my chest as I continued the story.

 

“ With Emmett, I appealed to his love for competition and the great outdoors. I suggested that we go on a huntin’ trip out into the Arctic away from our wives.”

 

Isabella stiffened and I could hear her growl begin from deep within her chest. I felt her jealousy and decided to tamp it down by removin’ her jacket and runnin’ my fingertips up her arm and down her side to her waist. I was just plannin’ to give her a quick reassuring kiss but her lips parted and our kiss deepened. My hands got tangled in her hair as she moaned into my mouth. She reached under my t-shirt and started to scratch my back as we continued.

 

Before I could reach under her shirt and caress her skin, she broke out of the kiss and I felt some embarrassment comin’ off of her.

 

“ Shit... I'm sorry. I got jealous, I know I shouldn’t have but I did," she admitted.

 

"There is no need to be jealous. I'm here with you, Isabella and you mean more to me than she ever did; hands down."

 

I gave her a wink and talked about how I planned the trip. "I got everything in place so we could go. I ordered a Snow Cat that we could use to trek around while we hunted and camped. I made sure Edward wouldn't join us by sendin’ emotions to Rose so she was bitchier than usual; it almost assured that Emmett wouldn't get any and would want to spend most of the time bitchin' about the lack of sex."

 

She laughed, "Let me guess, virgin prude boy would get offended?

 

"Fuck babe, I couldn't even swear around that fucker. Hell, he didn't even like it when we thought about cussin'. So yeah Emmett and I went off into the Arctic. Once I got him alone I was able to send a steady stream of trust at him and a cocktail that included giddiness and excitement; you know like when you have a secret you badly want to share. After some caribou, I slowly took away that giddy feelin’ he had and started replacing with it euphoria and some lightheadedness mixed with strong confidence. I was makin’ him feel drunk and hoped that he would start to lose his inhibitions and spill some secrets. It wasn’t until he had a musk ox that he was drunk enough to be able to confide in me about the night of your birthday party. There was a vision apparently and you were seen as a threat to them all. He didn’t elaborate so I’m guessin’ the Wonder Twins never shared any details because everybody in that goddamn family trusted them blindly.”

 

I felt a strong waves of awe hit me and looked down at Isabella. Her mouth was open and she looked at me in shock. I smiled. “Isabella? Was that for me?”

 

“ Holy shit, Jasper! You are able to feed emotions that complex? Wow, that is amazing!” she whispered to me. “I had no idea just how powerful you are.”

 

“ Because I was on that animal diet, my gift wasn’t as strong as it is with human blood. I am more precise now with what I can send out and how I can manipulate emotions.” I hoped I didn’t sound like a smug asshole with that, I wasn’t tryin’ to be. I knew the limits to what I was able to do back then, compared to now.

 

“ Well then, I will never get on your bad ass side unless I make you eat a deer first,” she laughed. “Seriously though Jasper, I had no idea. And what you found out about Emmett,” Isabella snorted. “ I was a threat because maybe we could have been mates back then?”

 

She looked up at me and I could still see the awe but there was also wonder, hope, adoration, and more trust comin’ off of her.

 

I shook my head. “Dunno, babe. I wouldn’t want to play the ‘could have been’ game at all. We have each other now and eternity ahead of us and that is what we should look at.” I thought for minute. “You were the only human I never looked at as a meal or a future soldier, if that says anything. And I meant it then and more so now when told you that you were worth it.”

 

I settled down to talkin’ about Emmett once again. “So, he said a plan was hatched to give you a party whether you wanted one or not and to make sure our house wasn’t, as they called it, Bella proof. I assume that meant anything to up the chances of you gettin’ into some sort of accident. I was gonna be the goat, he said. No matter what; how big or how little, everybody was to send hunger to me.”

 

She snorted again but this time there was strong anger and disbelief comin’ off of her as well. “Wow Jasper, they really thought highly of me, didn’t they? Bella proof?” she started her mumblin’ again. “I’d like to see them try to Bella proof me now.”

 

She closed her eyes for a brief moment before she gasped, “Jasper, if they sent you all their hunger to get you to react the way they wanted and then admonish you for it, that is truly fucked up. They mind-fucked you into thinking you were not trust worthy and unstable. So if they kept doing that to you, over the years, you became their bad puppy dog that got its nose rubbed in shit each and every time you did or even thought of something. Am I correct in assuming that?”

 

“ I was never trusted by them. Ever. And yeah bein’ their puppy dog? That sounds about right. They made me feel like a total fuck up, even though I knew I had the control and all. Over time I started doubtin’ myself.” I took a deep breath before continuing, “I am not quite sure the ultimate plan but I think it was big enough they needed to keep me from findin’ out what it was. By the time I got the story out from Emmett, I made sure to send him more drunk feelings and sent him off to hunt some more. It was a way to keep him from gettin’ suspicious that he spilled the beans on the Wonder Twins. By the time we got back his only thought was gettin’ alone time with Rose so I don’t think anybody was suspicious of what I found out.”

 

I could see that the sky was beginnin’ to lighten so I brushed back Isabella’s hair and whispered to her ear, “It is nearly sunrise. You want to see it out in the water or jungle side?”

 

She looked up at me and I could see her tears glistenin’ in the low light. I reached for her hand and pulled her into my arms. I didn’t have to know what she was feelin’ at that moment. I knew it meant a lot to her to greet her father in the mornin’ and it was the least I could do.

 

“ The water again and will you stay with me?” she asked me; her voice chokin’ with emotion.

 

“ Always.”

 

We walked back into the house and out to the clearing. I set her on my lap as we watched the sun rise. As it rose I silently greeted Chief Swan in my head lettin’ him know that I cared deeply for his daughter and will make damn sure she would never be alone again.

 

“ Jasper, I never thought you were a fuck up ever, and I am sorry that you were treated that way,” Isabella whispered before she leaned back and brushed the hair off my eyes. “So were you ever able to glean any unusual emotions from Rosalie or Carlisle?”

 

“ Never with Carlisle, he always thought of Edward as the ‘doin’ no wrong son’. Even though he had doubts on us leavin’ you after your birthday, he never voiced them and just went with Edward’s word. Nobody ever questioned the Wonder Twins.”

 

“ With Rose, I think I was more hurt by her actions than anybody else. We were supposed to be twins whenever we went to school but I started to see her in a different light. As I said earlier, things were startin’ to unravel after we left and the emotional turmoil they had was gettin’ too much for me. So, I would find places nearby to just chill; sometimes it was on the roof, other times it was up high in a tree. Well, one day, I heard her bitchin’ to Emmett about how he nearly bit her and that she didn’t want to scar. She said it like it was a dirty word. I started to see how much of a fuckin’ bitch she really was. Bitchy and shallow. From then on, I just couldn’t see her in the same light. She would act like she was my best friend while I was around but as soon as she couldn’t see me, I found that I was nothin’ but a pariah in that family.”

 

“ Quit that, Whitlock,” Isabella growled. “You are not a pariah and you are fucking more than worth it.”

 

She pushed me down onto the ground and straddled me before grabbin’ my arms and jerkin’ them over my head. Fuck, that was fuckin’ sexier than hell. All thoughts of those fuckin’ Cullens were out of my brain now as I felt her nuzzlin’ against my neck. I rolled my hips at her and growled when I felt her nippin’ at my ear lobe.

 

“ Yes, ma’am,” I groaned out. I suddenly felt mischievousness comin’ off her and before I could say somethin’, I felt like I was pinned onto the ground as she got up off of me. I was still pinned down a few seconds before that feelin’ disappeared.

 

“ I just wanted to see if it worked,” she laughed and reached out her hand. I grabbed it and pulled her back down to me. “Besides, you needed a little distraction there.”

 

I trailed kisses along her shoulder. I felt her shiver as I reached a spot where the back of her neck met her shoulder. I opened my mouth and ran my tongue over the spot and heard a soft whimper escape her lips. I rolled her onto her back and shot her lust and watched as her eyes rolled back before shuttin’ that off completely and sittin’ back up. She opened her eyes and stared at me and I could see and feel she was annoyed that I stopped.

 

I leaned forward and whispered against her ear, “Don’t ever play with fire, darlin’.” I gave her a peck on the cheek and grinned at her.

 

“ Jasper Whitlock, that was a dirty trick,” she growled.

 

I brought her back to my arms and kissed her hair. “As I recall, you pinned me first with your shield. Speakin’ of which, I am curious how that works.”

 

I knew she was still a little annoyed that I left her hangin’ but I figured I’d make it up to her later.

 

I turned her around so we were facin’ each other again and pulled her onto my lap. She wrapped her legs around me and leaned her head forward so that our foreheads touched.

 

“ I essentially have two shields. I call them my inner and outer shields and don’t laugh, Janey wanted to nickname me Belly Button because of my innie and outtie when we all figured I had two,” she snorted. “My outer shield, as you felt, is something I essentially push out of me. I can either push it out like I did with you or throw it out like I did back at the villa. I can put a lot of force into the throw initially but I can also push into it after it is thrown. Does that make sense?”

 

She looked up at me and I could tell she was proud of her gift. I was still curious about things so I got up and set her on her feet.

 

“ Show me.”

 

Isabella shook her head and nervousness poured out of her. “I... I don’t want to.”

 

“ Darlin’? If we’re gonna be workin’ together, I need to learn your gift. You won’t hurt me, I promise,” I said as I sent reassurance to her.

 

I wasn’t sure if that was why she was hesitant but I had a feelin’ that it was. I saw her swallow and nod her head. I could feel she was still reluctant so I figured I’d add some fuel to the fire.

 

I was tempted to do an impression of either one of the Wonder Twins but I didn’t want her to hold that above my head for the rest of time.

 

I ran to the far end of the clearin’ and sent her a strong sense of anger in case she let her shield back up. I saw her chest heavin’ and a growl escaped her mouth. Once again I was watchin’ the lethal goddess as she stared me down. She was slightly crouched and I could almost see her muscles twitchin’ in anticipation. I continued sendin’ her anger as I crouched low ready to attack. It felt strange wantin’ to run at her and potentially hurt her. I had a harder time than usual tryin’ to get into attack mode. That feelin’ in my chest was strong and made it hard for me to concentrate.

 

I ran at her full bore and was ready to tackle her when I felt it; It was like an invisible wall sprung out of nowhere and punched me with the strength of a hundred semi trucks. I was knocked on my ass immediately and the impact created a crater that had me level with the ground.

 

“ Shit! Jasper,” she said and I heard her runnin’ towards me as I sat up. “Jasper, fuck, I am sorry.”

 

Her hands roamed over me and I felt her eyes checkin’ me to make sure I was okay.

 

“ Babe I am fine. You knocked me on my ass though.” I got out of the hole, took her in my arms and held her as my chest slowly stopped hurtin’. “Babe, did your chest hurt when you threw your shield?”

 

“ Yes, so much so that I couldn’t concentrate on what I was doing and threw it stronger than normal. Did you feel it too?”

 

I nodded. “Were you able to feel my anger? I sent it to you pretty strong.”

 

“ Yes and I had to fight myself from bringing my inner shield up full strength.”

 

“ How exactly does your inner shield work, darlin’?

 

“ Well, it is a weird feeling because it is like a second skin when I have it on. Only it isn’t like regular skin, I picture it in my head like it is a wetsuit because I feel cocooned in it.”

 

She was havin’ a hard time talkin’ about this inner shield of hers, I felt her vulnerability and I knew this was her equivalent to a security blanket.

 

“ If it makes you feel better Isabella, pull it back up.”

 

She looked at me wide-eyed. “It has been up, since you charged at me I’ve had it up.”

 

Okay, that was strange because I felt her emotions and they were pretty clear.

 

“ I’ve felt your emotions, at times they weren’t as strong as others but it was stronger than the beginning.”

 

Isabella shook her head like she was tryin’ to clear something out of it.

 

“ Fuck, why isn’t this working?” Isabella muttered. “Fuck! Dammit! Jasper, can we call your brother again? Do you think he might have more answers?”

 

She was bitin’ that sexy lip of hers and I couldn’t help but stare. I bent down and took it between my teeth and licked her bottom lip. I felt her need and her hands gripped my t-shirt tightly. Her tongue touched mine and we both moaned. My hands grabbed her hair and pulled her in so I could deepen our kiss.

 

I knew we should be callin’ Peter and I was happy to see that Isabella was already lookin’ for possible answers from my brother, but I was enjoyin’ this. I hoped that we’d all be able to get together and while I might not want to live with my brother and sister again, I’d like to see them more than 3 times in the past 50 years.

 

I reluctantly broke off the kiss. I could have punched myself for that. Isabella’s lips were slightly swollen and her hair was disheveled from my hands and she looked even more fuckin’ sexy than before.

 

I whispered against her lips, “Isabella, let’s try callin’ so we can get that out of the way.”

 

She nodded as she laid her head against mine again and wrapped her arms and legs round me. I took that as a hint she wanted me to carry her into the house and obliged. I held her tight against me, one hand grabbin’ that nice ass of hers.

 

When I got us to the comm room, I grabbed my phone as I sat down. I continued to hold Isabella against me as I pressed Peter’s number.

 

“ Major, you keepin’ your pants on?”

 

I sighed, “Hey fucker, I have Isabella here with me.” I saw that Isabella was tryin’ to suppress a giggle.

 

“ Cookie, you keepin’ your pants on?” Peter chuckled.

 

“ Peter you seem to be obsessed with pants. Is it because Char wears the pants in your household?” Isabella asked coyly.

 

I snorted and we both heard Char laughin’ in the background sayin’ that she loved Cookie and we heard the sound of what sounded like Peter’s head bein’ smacked again. Isabella looked up at me and smiled. The softness returned to her eyes and affection and adoration were comin’ off of her.

 

“ Peter, I asked Jasper to call because maybe you could give us some more information about this bond thing between mates.” Isabella explained.

 

Peter cleared his throat before answerin’. I pictured Char givin’ him the look so he wouldn’t be a complete dumbass towards us.

 

“ Sure thing, Cookie. What d’ya wanna know?”

 

“ Well, if we both have gifts, would mates be able to use them effectively on each other?” Isabella asked.

 

“ I am not quite sure about that. I know if your souls recognize each other they’re not gonna wanna hurt each other, ya get what I’m sayin’? Give me some specifics to work on,” Peter asked.

 

“ Okay, Jasper says that he can feel my emotions even though my shield is up. Sometimes they aren’t as strong but they aren’t as filtered as they were when we first saw each other.”

 

“ Anything else?” asked Peter.

 

“ I tried to show him my other shield and he said when he tried to run and attack me, his chest was hurting and he had to fight with himself to actually go through the motions. With me I had a hard time throwing my shield at him because I was getting a painful feeling and ended up throwing it too hard and knocking him down,” Isabella said and looked up at me apologetically.

 

I shook my head at her and mouthed out “no” and sent her my pride and adoration and in my head I told her that there was a promise of more.

 

“ Well, it would sound like the idea that you two not wantin’ to hurt each other is correct. The Major havin’ a hard time runnin’ after ya is a great example. With your shield, how hard can you throw it?” inquired Peter.

 

Isabella thought for a moment. “Well, Felix is probably the biggest on the guard and he’s built like a pro football linebacker. I was able to knock him maybe a good ten feet before he crashed into the side of a granite mountain. The force of it a left a huge, deep imprint.” She snorted, “luckily the mountain was located at Volterra. Could you imagine how it would look to humans to see an imprint of a large bulky body in stone? I didn’t mean to throw it that hard but I helped create a Jasper sized hole on the mountain today.

 

“ So you have two shields?” Peter asked.

 

“ Yes, one that I can use against others and the other protects me,” Isabella explained.

 

“ So did you have your other shield up at anytime Cookie?”

 

“ Yes, I had it up and right before impact, my inner shield popped up completely and that was when I was able to throw. I couldn’t get my inner shield completely up a couple times before which is why I engaged the shield a lot harder than I should have,” Isabella explained and rested her head against me again.

 

“ Well, I’ll need to do some research to be sure but I am guessin’ that because ya both have strong gifts, being mated will result in some changes to your abilities if they’re used against each other. Things could be different if you’re tryin’ to...”

 

Peter broke off of his explanation and just as I was about to ask, I heard Char yell, out.

 

“ Incomin’!”

 

Peter just had what he called a snapshot come to his head. Isabella looked at me in confusion and I whispered against her ear. “I’ll explain after, okay?”

 

She nodded and I could feel trust, confusion and a little worry comin’ off of her.

 

“ Okay, my snapshot says that if y’all are ever in danger, Isabella is able to use her shield to protect you both,” Peter said, and he sounded tired which was not a surprise whenever he got those snapshots. “I’ll double check on my research and let y’all know. Oh and y’all should come and visit us. We’d love to meet ya, Cookie.”

 

Isabella smiled. “I would like that, I would love to meet Jasper’s family.”

 

“ You just give us a call and let us know,” Peter said quietly. Knowin’ him as I do and knowin’ Char, they were probably moved by her simple statement. I know I was.

 

“ Sounds great Peter, please give Char my best and thank you,” Isabella said.

 

“ Bro, I’ll talk to you later, and give my best to Char,” I added before hangin’ up the phone.

 

“ Jasper, what the hell was that ‘incoming’ thing? I mean he just stopped talking,” Isabella asked.

 

“ Isabella, remember how I described how Peter gets these snapshots? Well, at that moment, he had one. If you think it sounds strange while on the phone, I better warn you now before you freak out when you see him gettin’ a snapshot if you’re nearby.”

 

“ Come on Jasper, surely it isn’t as freaky as her and her...”

 

Isabella gave me an impression of the fuckin’ pixie that had me laughin’ hard.

 

“ No, it wasn’t as often as the pixie bitch’s fits but it is still a little unusual. When Peter gets’ those visions, he gets stark still and his eyes flash a bright blue before turnin’ back to crimson. He doesn’t stay in a trance like her but he’ll zone out for a few seconds then flash and then he gets his snapshot.”

 

“ Jasper, can we really visit them?” Isabella asked and I sensed a little apprehension comin’ off of her.

 

“ If you’d like, why are you feelin’ that way, darlin’? I’m sorry for pryin’ but I could feel apprehension comin’ off you.”

 

“ What if they don’t like me, Jasper? I mean, I don’t want to add strife to your family.” Isabella was genuinely worried.

 

I wrapped my arms around her once again and carried her while I walked us out the room. “Darlin’, they will love you, I guarantee it. You’ve acknowledged them as bein’ my family which is one thing they were never treated as. You’ve asked for Peter’s advice and the fact that they call you Cookie says a lot. They never gave any of  _ them _ a nickname, well except for prick, asshole and bitch,” I whispered against her ear.

 

I walked us out the courtyard grabbin’ our jackets as we headed down the elevator. I looked at Isabella and smiled as we got to Raven.

 

“ Let’s go for a ride, darlin’. I think we both need to get some fresh air.”

 

We shrugged on our jackets and threw on our helmets. Isabella insisted that I rode Raven first and she settled down behind me. I figured a bike ride through the jungle would be nice this late afternoon and then I was gonna make sure I took care of my woman when we got back.

 

**  
**

  



	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hanks once again for the four awesome ladies… DarkNnerdy for her support, pre-readers JaspersBella and SparklingFae and my awesome beta, MsMynxi. You all rock and Bella says we can party in her penthouse apartment. 
> 
> As always, SM owns it all… well, except for the music. 
> 
> This next chapter is a little dark so fair warning.

**Chapter 7**

_**Songs:** _

_**Let the Flames Begin – Paramore** _

_**Bad Company – Five Finger Death Punch**_

 

**BPOV**

 

We untangled ourselves from each other as the shower sprayed down on us. Jasper reached up to shut off the water while I grabbed the towels behind us and handed one to him. It has been one week since we found out we were mates and we’ve been inseparable since. Today we were at my apartment; most of the time, we spent at Jasper’s because I just felt most comfortable there. We visited a nearby village the other day. He helped me pick some unique pieces of pottery to add to this place, so it is a little less intimidating. The pieces I chose reminded me of Jasper because the artists’ styles were similar to the ones that painted his skulls. Still, some of my favorite areas so far in this apartment were the bath, the balcony and now the shower.

 

We walked into the bedroom and threw on some clothes. It was nearly sunrise and since the day I told him about my dad, he’s always made sure I greeted him each and every morning. I was falling in love with Jasper and the more we shared with each other, the more complete and whole I felt. I am sure he felt the same way, but I just wasn’t quite ready to say the words yet. I never knew that I would be able to love someone so much. This was beyond anything I have ever known or felt. Even though I didn’t need to breathe, it felt like Jasper was my air.

 

We haven’t talked much about the Cullens since that night. I was still pissed as hell with what they did, and I didn’t want to bring it up again, yet. I was still curious as to what made, as he called them, the Wonder Twins want to do that to Jasper. Why did they want to feed him only specific emotions in order to keep him from feeling others. It must have been huge if they had to suppress him like that and keep feeding him the constant negativity. They mentally tried to beat this man down but didn’t succeed. When he first explained that he was the one that set them on fire, a part of me still wished I had had a chance to torch them. But after he revealed what he learned from Esme and Emmett, I was glad he had the opportunity. Still, too bad they’re gone, because what they did to my Jasper, I would have given it back to them tenfold.

 

I settled between his legs on the chaise and felt his arms pull me to his chest. Even though we didn’t need it, I threw the blanket over us and watched as the sun started emerging from the horizon. We didn’t need any words between us. I had been leaving my shield down for the most part since that day.

 

I was growing comfortable in letting my emotions run freely. I wasn’t comfortable at first, it made me feel very vulnerable knowing somebody was able to read everything I felt. I realized that Jasper wasn’t the type of person who would scrutinize every fucking thing that he felt from me. It was only when he felt something off that he’d actually bring it up. It was a nice knowing that even though I wasn’t ready to say those words to Jasper, he could feel that I liked him more than just a lot.

 

When we found out about my shield and how it could be used to protect the both of us, I started practicing with it whenever we were out amongst the humans. Jasper was fascinated with it especially when we were at the local marketplace one morning and I threw it over us. I didn’t let Jasper know that I was doing it in case what Peter said was untrue. The look on his face when the outside world was shut out from him was funny; he was so shocked. The only emotions he could feel were ours. We did discover that although he couldn’t feel the humans, he was still able to send his emotions out and manipulate them. It was as though my shield was a two-way mirror that you’d see in a police interrogation room. We were in hysterics as we quickly left the marketplace that day. Jasper sent the crowd a strong dose of lust and we watched as the whole place broke out in a near orgy.

 

The next time we were around humans, I let my shield hover over us and he nearly started a barroom brawl because he sent too much anger to the crowd. After that night, we learned that at hover mode, he was not only able to send more precise and complex emotions, but he was able to once again feel the emotions coming off of the humans. They weren’t as strong as when he wasn’t shielded but he felt more comfortable feeling something. We decided that hover mode was the best solution and we walked around the waterfront while I switched from hover to full shield and back.

 

We were also learning how Jasper’s gift could affect me. Just as he was curious about my ability, I was with his. We started practicing after one of our trips into town. We went back to his place since it was isolated and I felt more comfortable in dropping my shield. We already knew that I could feel certain emotions like comfort, calm and how he felt about me. I was willing to see what the limits were from him. We sat there and I concentrated on keeping my shield down as Jasper started sending me different emotions. I felt happiness, sadness and anger. I wanted to be pushed farther so I asked him to send me some real heavy feelings but he was reluctant.

 

I assured him that I would be fine. As it turned out, some emotions such as rage, pain and hate were difficult for Jasper to send to me. It hurt him to send such extreme negative emotions to me. Other emotions like drunkenness and lust were no problem and he especially seemed to enjoy the results from the lust test.

 

A few days later, we decided to test my emotions while my shield was hovering and it was pretty much the same results only the emotions weren’t as strong. With my shield fully engaged, the emotions were even more muted and I wanted to see if I could feel some of the more negative shit from Jasper. He wasn’t willing even after goading him so we decided to work with what we had for now. I told him later on about how Jane and I were playing around one day soon after my change. We had just fed so I was pretty calm when I felt trickles of pain coming from her. Before I knew what was happening, both my shields popped out of me and she was pinned against the castle wall.

 

Through trial and error, we were quickly familiarizing ourselves on how to use our gifts together by learning the differences and how much power Jasper needed to use in order to manipulate a crowd or an individual while being shielded. We haven’t incorporated my outer shield yet as there really wasn’t a way to do that without drawing attention. We haven’t practiced with other vampires but the thought was that we’d either pay a visit to or invite Peter and Char down here, and see how effective we were. Our goal was to be able to work seamlessly and not have to rely on verbal commands.

 

“Jasper, can we feed tonight?” I asked breaking the silence.

 

Jasper sat up and looked into my eyes and I could see he was concerned.

 

“No, my throat isn’t burning yet but I don’t like to take the chance,” I said as I looked at him and smiled. “Your eyes are a little darker than normal so you could probably use a meal tonight as well.”

 

“Sure darlin’, we need to go over the reports before we do anything else,” he reminded me.

 

Part of my job as a field agent was to monitor for any unusual activity or possible patterns. Anything that could pose a threat to our operations would need to be stopped; like what we did to El Tigre’s cartel. We walked back into the house and into the comm room or what I now called the Ninja Room; anything in an effort to liven up this place. We sat together as I checked in with the Volturi and the various emails until I found a report from Serena. The past few days, there had been nothing significant while the field team monitored for any unusual or suspicious activity. If there was a pattern or even a hint of a pattern, we would make sure to get the situation monitored.

 

I looked over a particular report and checked out the accompanying maps before I called out to Jasper.

 

“Jasper, take a look at this. Here is map of El Tigre’s territory. It looks like a new cartel has taken over some of the villages. According to intel, most of his area was divvied up by existing cartels after we took care of him. We’re already monitoring them, but this new group, the fact that it has been done quickly and quietly, makes me think we need to keep an eye on them.”

 

I handed Jasper the information and watched in rapt fascination as he scanned the reports and maps. I knew he was a military man and a strategist, but to see him in action was amazing to see. He scribbled notes and looked things up on the computer and cross referenced everything.

 

“Hmm, I think you’re right in wantin’ to get some eyes to watch this group. A cartel doesn’t just emerge from out of nowhere and to set this all up as organized as they are on the down low is a little fishy. Here, look at this file I’ve managed to tap into.”

 

I looked over his shoulder and was amazed to see that this information he had. On the screen was a file that he had apparently hacked from the US Government.

 

“Jasper, are the Feds gonna be coming here now to find me?” I really wasn’t concerned about humans after us, I was more impressed than anything. It would just be an inconvenience if they came out here and searched the damn place.

 

“Nah, I’ve learned to hack into systems and I’ve made sure your line was as secured as mine before I looked this up. Accordin’ to this report, the Feds have nicknamed this group Phoenix. We should get a group to start monitorin’ and see if there are any patterns.”

 

The word Phoenix sort of threw me off, it reminded me too much of her and I was starting to get a little agitated. I nodded and sent our observations back to the Volturi and directed Serena to set up a surveillance team to gather information. I requested that they begin monitoring for any unusual activity and to begin reporting within the next 24 hours. I didn’t realize just how much that word bothered me until I looked down at my keyboard and noticed I had mutilated my laptop.

 

“Babe, would you like me to hold the laptop down while you scratch and claw at it?” Jasper whispered as he wrapped his arms around me, and I could feel he was sending me calm and comfort. “What’s got you so upset?”

 

“Phoenix,” I replied and closed my eyes as I tried to center myself around Jasper and the emotions he was sending me. “It just reminded me of that fucking bitch that used to be my mom.”

 

Jasper lifted me up and walked out of the room. He sat down on the couch and pulled me closer to him. As I buried my head in his chest, I couldn’t help but feel that I was so fucking lucky to have him in my life.

 

“I don’t like seein’ you hurtin’ like that. It makes me want to go find her and fuckin’ take care of her for you,” he was nearly growling with anger. I knew he meant it too, without a fucking doubt. “Nobody fuckin’ makes my woman hurt and gets away with it.”

 

My heart almost fucking exploded at those words. The fierce determination in his eyes was so intense that I gasped.

 

“Jasper, you don’t have to,” I began and placed my hands on his chest, relishing that warm feeling once again. Given what we knew now about us, it didn’t seem to bother me anymore. In fact, if truth be known, I sort of liked that warmth we created from our touches.

 

“I sort of took care of things a few years ago.” I took a deep breath and settled down before I continued my story. “It was soon after my change and for a Christmas present, I sent her and Phil tickets to come to Volterra to visit. I had been terribly hurt by her abandoning me when I really needed her and I guess even though they were my human memories, they were still strong. Add to the fact that I had my moments of being a crazy, irrational newborn, well, that just was a recipe for disaster.”

 

I paused and looked at Jasper, “Look, I need to warn you, that while I am not ashamed of what I did, I’m not exactly super proud of it either. So I hope you understand.” I was a little nervous in telling him, I didn’t want him to judge me for my actions especially since this person gave birth to me.

 

“Babe, you have nothin’ to worry about. There are things in my past that I am not proud of and some things that I have had a hard time reconcilin’. So I am not gonna judge you or think of you any less.” Jasper promised as he held me tighter.

 

I nodded and continued, “I arranged for them to stay at the local hotel and made sure they were picked up at the airport. Of course, they didn’t know what Volterra was. I convinced them that I had decided to go to college overseas and that I was living on campus. If my plans succeeded, they wouldn’t set foot in the castle and would be none the wiser of what’s going on. The hotel knew to contact me as soon as they arrived and I could set the rest of my plan in action.”

 

I reached over and held Jasper’s hand. “As I mentioned to you, my sisters heard the story but they never asked me to elaborate on it. I told them that I needed their help and they said that they would. When I received word from the hotel that they were checked into their room, I threw on my cloak and dark sunglasses and headed towards them, it was evening but I had just fed so my eyes were that bright newborn red color. My sisters followed me to their door where I asked them to wait for a few minutes. When they let me in, they acted like nothing had ever happened.”

 

“Renee was excited and ran up to me like we were long lost friends,” I continued. “Phil was there too and he was quieter than usual, so I didn’t think anything of it. Renee didn’t even flinch when she gave me a hug and it sort of surprised me. It wasn’t until I looked into her eyes and his that I realized they were a little off. I wasn’t sure what it was and at that moment I didn’t really care. I just wanted to get back at the woman I used to call mom. Renee was oblivious, more so than her usual self as I whispered for my sisters to come in. Quicker than a flash, they came in and grabbed Phil and Renee and we all went up to the rooftop.”

 

I really couldn’t help the devious smile that formed as I thought back to that moment. “I had my sisters put them down on the floor as I walked up to them and slapped them both. It wasn’t hard enough to break bones but it was hard enough that they were shocked and seemed to be a little more alert than they were before. I looked at them and asked them point blank if they remembered Charlie. Renee scoffed and said she did and then asked why I was so upset. I couldn’t believe her. I remember feeling my eyes darken and it was the first time I felt my predator come out and not want to feed.”

 

Jasper tightened his hold on me. I was getting agitated as I recalled those moments so clearly that they could have happened a minute ago. “I got really close to her, my venom was practically dripping because I was so fucking pissed. I was trying hard not to growl out when I asked her if she fucking remembered that Charlie had been shot. Renee looked at me as though I was speaking to her in a foreign language. I realized right then that they were both on something but it didn’t matter. She was no longer my mother the moment that she promised to show up but never did. She not only disappointed me but she abandoned me as well. She was no longer family and Phil was nothing but scum.”

 

I breathed in Jasper’s scent and immediately felt calmer. “I reached down and slapped them again, a little harder this time. I drew blood from Phil. I laughed and slapped him one more time before I grabbed him by his hair and called out to Heidi before tossing him to her. Renee should have been fucking terrified by now but she was still a little off. I leaned forward and ran my nail down her cheek and sniffed the blood that oozed out. It was tainted but my senses weren’t sophisticated enough to distinguish what exactly she was on just that it wasn’t just blood in her system. She whimpered but she didn’t cry. I took her wrist and pulled her towards Jane. I felt her delicate bones crush under my hands. I wanted her to hurt and cry for Charlie, for me, now for Phil, and most importantly for her life. I watched as Jane unleashed her pain at Renee and listened to her wail into the night as Jane continued her onslaught. She let me slap her a couple more times. Jane hadn’t fed yet so I didn’t want to spill Renee’s blood unnecessarily so after about 5 more minutes I told Jane that she could have her for dinner. When they were done, my sisters tossed them over the roof and we went back to their room and searched their stuff for drugs.”

 

I felt Jasper’s lips against my neck and I reached over and cupped the side of his face and smiled at him. “They told me while we were in the room that they were on some prescription opiates and that Phil also had some crystal meth in his system. When we found the pills and a small vial of powder, we made sure we planted some on them so the humans would think they were high and fell off the roof. It was that experience that also got me interested in going into the elite Covert Corps of the Volturi.”

 

“Isabella, did you feel better after that?” Jasper asked as he brushed my hair off to one side and began to kiss the back of my neck.

 

Fuck that felt good. I think even if we weren’t mates, I could easily fall in love with Jasper Whitlock.

 

Love? Oh god, I never thought it would ever feel this way. I thought I had it bad back in high school but this? This ran fucking circles around what I felt back then. Granted my feelings are so much stronger now than what I felt as a human, I still don’t think what I had was love. If it was, it certainly wasn’t reciprocated like this.

 

I could feel Jasper’s emotions. He liked to project his feelings out to me. It was as though we weren’t ready to say those words but we could show each other where we were headed. We were both falling for each other and falling hard.

 

“It felt good but not the shout it from the rooftop great, you know? No pun intended.” I closed my eyes and smiled as I continued feeling his lips on my skin.

 

I turned my body so I was once again facing him. I felt his hand on the back of my neck pulling me towards him. My hands were on his shoulders, gripping them hard as our lips touched. My hand reached up and grabbed a fistful of hair. I was lost in his arms once again. He lifted me on him as he scooted down on the couch so he was now lying down. Our hands roamed each other’s bodies and our legs became entangled. His hands were under my skirt and roaming up my thighs. I moaned into his mouth.

 

_She's a brick house, she's mighty mighty, and just lettin' it all hang out and she's a brick house_

_And like lady's stacked and that's the fact, ain't holding nothing back, she's a brick house_

 

Fuck, were all siblings supposed to be cockblockers? I growled and jumped off of Jasper. I ran into the war room and grabbed my phone on the desk.

 

“Brickhouse, what’s up,” I was hoping I didn’t sound like I was annoyed. I was but I had not talked to my sister in a while.

 

I walked back to the couch and mouthed out ‘sorry’ to Jasper as I reached for his hands. He pulled me into his arms as I continued my phone call with Heidi.

 

“I’m fine and Whitlock? Oh Jasper is fine,” I answered when Heidi asked. “Yes, I call him Jasper, we’re partners now so why shouldn’t I?” I was mentally kicking myself right now for ever telling them that I had a crush on Whitlock.

 

Oh fuck. Heidi just asked if I’ve fucked him yet and I know Jasper heard that. He wasn’t even hiding that he had because he was silently chuckling next to me. I elbowed him as I tried to figure out how to subtly answer Heidi without spilling the beans on the fact that Jasper and I were mates.

 

“Brickhouse, we are partners and he’s also helping me get acquainted with the town and its surroundings. He is good looking but he’s spoken for.” I looked at Jasper and winked.

 

Heidi didn’t stop, nope. She said I should beat this chick up and Jasper had to get up and run out to the balcony where he doubled over in silent laughter. I looked at him and flipped him off before getting back to Heidi.

 

“Heidi, I can’t, he’s mated. Can we please drop this? Please?” I was exasperated and must have convinced Heidi enough that it was a touchy subject that she stopped asking.

 

She quickly told me their latest Volterra antics, trying to get some of the new recruits to wear the ‘new regulation cloaks, which were actually once old dresses they found up in the attics. I was glad she had to go, a night tour was coming and she had to work her magic. I gave her my love and asked that she pass it along to Janey, too.

 

I walked back out to the balcony and sat down on one of the chairs. I wasn’t sure how I was going to explain to Jasper that I had a mad crush on him before I even met him.

 

He must have sensed my embarrassment. He came and kneeled in front of me.

 

“You alright? What’s wrong?” Jasper asked, placing his hands on my knees.

 

“Nothing… it’s nothing,” I squeaked out. “It’s just Heidi.” I let out a sigh before continuing, “I sort of told her and Jane… that is, I was… I was fascinated by you, before I met you, and well…” I was more than embarrassed by my confession and was hoping that the floor would once again open up and suck me in.

 

“Before you met me?” Jasper asked as he pulled me closer to him so he was between my legs. “I’m flattered, darlin’. So did I live up to your expectations?”

 

I nodded as his scent washed over me. “And then some, Jasper. I had no idea you had such a fascinating history. I thought you were so quiet back then and always wearing those stupid Dockers and sweaters. And then you were… I mean you’re Whitlock. Oh god, I’m rambling. I’ll shut up now.”

 

He ran his fingertips up my arms. I looked at him and I could see laughter in his eyes but the feeling he was sending me was beautiful, it made me feel whole and full of hope. I knew it was Jasper sending me his feelings for me; for us.

 

“How about we go for a bike ride and then stop for dinner before goin’ back to my place?” he asked.

 

I laughed, “That sounds great. Let me change into something more bike ride worthy first.”

 

We went back into the house and I grabbed some clothes and stuffed them into a bag and then slipped into some jeans and my boots. Jasper was leaning against the doorway with that sinful smirk on his face.

 

“So Isabella, what was that red lace thing you stuck in your bag?” he asked with a quirk of his eyebrow.

 

I smiled coyly back at him, “Well, Mr. Whitlock, if you play your cards right, you might find out.”

 

He took my bag from me as I went for our jackets and we headed out.

 

Jasper drove us out towards the countryside that skirted the jungle. The road wound itself around tilled fields, small rivers and the lush green jungle. This was probably one of our favorite rides because of the vast contrast and the fact that the winding road was pretty deserted. I didn’t need to be as diligent about keeping us under my shield like I would around the city. Out here, it was just us.

 

We turned around and headed back towards the city as the sun was setting. Jasper parked the bike on one of the busy streets and we took off towards the strip bars. We knew they were teeming with small time drug pushers and hookers. My shield was up as we entered the dimly lit club. We didn’t need our sunglasses in here; most of the clientele were drunker than hell and usually high on the plethora of drugs that was available.

 

The scent of sweaty bodies and nicotine filled the air as we sat in the back and scanned the room for our meals. I felt Jasper squeeze my hand and looked around. There were two smarmy looking men that were staring at us, me specifically and I had to suppress the urge to either gag or throw my outer shield on them. Since we couldn’t be separated too long or else that pain would start to hurt us, Jasper and I had started to play a game where one of us would lure our meals out to a darkened alleyway so we could feed. It looked as though tonight was my turn to play the Pied Piper. I returned Jasper’s hand to his lap and gave him a wink. It was show time. I thought about how much I was falling for him that and my wicked plan to lure the men. I knew he had felt what I was sending him when he winked at me back.

 

I gasped at Jasper and immediately stood up in my chair. All the while I was making sure my feelings for him were loud and clear. I glared at him and tried not to laugh when I reached back and slapped him like I would have, had I been human still. His head whipped back in an exaggerated reaction to my blow. I knew it wouldn’t hurt him at all which is why it didn’t hurt me physically to slap. I pretended to storm out the door burying my face in my hands as though I was crying. I knew Jasper would be sending some cocktail of emotions out that included confidence to the creepy men so they would follow me out the door. I slowly rounded the corner into the end of the alley while pretending to sniffle and cry loud enough for the men to hear. Sure enough, I heard them and saw them out of the corner of my eye a couple minutes later.

 

The men were dressed in what they must have thought were attractive suits; they were shiny and ill fitting. Now, I am not one for dressing up often but I knew what looked nice and what didn’t on a person. They had just stepped into the alley and I could smell their cologne from where I was. The men grinned and I could see the shine of what might have been a gold tooth glinting in the moonlight. I heard them talk about how they couldn’t wait to break me. I quietly laughed. If only they knew.

 

From behind the men, I could now see Jasper sneaking quietly behind them. I could still hear the men talk about their plans for me and I was a little sickened. They were serial rapists and I was going to be their latest victim. I needed to wait until they were half way into the alley before I could do anything. The end of the alley was devoid of any light and we knew from our previous feeding that nobody would hear or want to hear the cries in the night from the dead end wall.

 

As soon as they stepped into the darkness, I raced over next to Jasper and threw my shield out at the men before they had a chance to react. By the time the men showed shock, they were already neatly pinned against the back wall as Jasper and I stalked towards them. He must have been sending them fear as I kept them from moving; their eyes were wide and they were blubbering gibberish. When we reached them, I dropped my shield and they were both on their knees begging for mercy and were babbling about their money in their pockets.

 

I grabbed one of them while Jasper grabbed the other. Pushed the man into the wall hard and laughed when I heard the air leave his lungs.

 

“Think you’re so fucking tough, don’t you? You like to pick on helpless young women? Well my dear, looks like you picked the wrong one tonight,” I sneered out at the trembling man.

 

I slapped him with as much strength as I did to Jasper earlier and the impact sent his face into the brick wall hard. The man’s skin was scratched, and blood was surfacing. I took a deep inhale and smiled at the scent of the sweetened blood. I reached up and grabbed his greasy head of hair and pulled him towards me. I ran my nose along his neck and felt the venom begin pooling in my mouth. I heard crying from Jasper’s man and quickly looked as Jasper grabbed the man and slammed him against the wall before biting down.

 

_He’s so sexy when he feeds._

 

I whispered in Spanish against the man’s skin, “Say hello to the devil for me.” And my teeth sunk into his flesh like it was butter. I turned the man towards his accomplice so he could see what was happening and was pleased to taste his blood getting even sweeter than before. I could hear Jasper’s growling as he continued to feed. I needed to see him so I turned around again and my eyes locked with his as we fed. I was growling in response to him.

 

He dropped the body and gave it a kick before he tossed it into the dumpster across from us. I gave my meal another squeeze and the blood started to slow to a trickle. The heartbeat was slower and weaker as I squeezed every drop I could out of him. When he was tapped out, I unlatched and tossed the body into the dumpster with a move that would make a basketball player proud.

 

Jasper chuckled as he wrapped his arms around me and held me tight. I looked up and saw a small drop of blood on the corner of his lips. I stood on my toes and licked it off of him before he lit the dumpster on fire.

 

We walked out the alleyway arm in arm and if anybody had suspected anything, they probably assumed we had a silly lover’s quarrel and then made up. We walked in human speed towards his bike and headed back towards his house.

 

“I think we both need to wash up after those greasy meals, darlin’,” he replied as he strapped his helmet on and started the motor.

 

“Sounds good to me,” I replied as I held onto him.

 

“You did great out there. It looks like even with your outer shield engaged, I’m still able to send fear and pain at them,” Jasper said as we started towards the mountain.

 

“I was wondering what you sent them,” I answered. “I was so disgusted by what they were saying. I am glad we got them good, Jasper. And we got a pretty good meal didn’t we?”

 

“Yes ma’am!” he replied and chuckled. We were now at his garage and I got out off the bike and took off my helmet.

 

“Shower or bath?” Jasper asked as he lifted me up and I wrapped my legs around him.

 

“The bath please and Jasper? Thank you for taking me out to dinner,” I whispered as we headed back up to his house and into our sanctuary.

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to thank the fuckawesome ladies who have helped me with this story. DarkNNerdy, JaspersBella, SparklingFae, my awesome beta MsMynxi. You all rock and I love you all.
> 
> As always, SM owns it all.

**Chapter 8**

_**Songs:** _

 

_**Map of Problematique - Muse** _

 

_**It's Your Love - Tim McGraw and Faith Hill** _

 

**JPOV**

 

I was goin' through the reports on my bed when a scrap of red lace landed in front of me.

 

"Did you really have to shred another of my nighties to bits, Jasper?" Isabella teased as she hovered over me and kissed a trail down my spine.

 

She wasn't angry, I could feel amusement and satisfaction more than anything. I rolled over and pulled her down to me; enjoying the feel of our bare skin touching.

 

"Babe, you weren't complainin' earlier," I murmured against her neck. "In fact, I believe you were beggin' me not to stop."

 

I could easily have gotten lost all over again with Isabella as she let out a soft sigh. I kissed her shoulder, running my tongue along her scar. As soon as I heard the sound of paper wrinkle beneath me, I groaned and gave her a quick kiss on her nose.

 

"Darlin', we'll have to continue this later," I said as I reluctantly stopped caressin' her skin and rolled back, showing her the reports I had laid out. "I am trying to go over these reports, sometimes I'll print them out and look at them in a different medium to see if something stands out."

 

Isabella started giggling and I looked at her wondering what was so funny. "When you say different medium, are you talking about being butt naked?"

 

I shook my head and stifled a chuckle. "I meant lookin' at them in paper form instead of just on a monitor." I reached over and smacked her on her ass causin' her to laugh even more.

 

Having my little minx here was certainly refreshing after so many years bein' with a pretentious bitch know-it-all. Isabella was fun, she had a wicked sense of humor, full of passion, smart, sexy as fuckin' hell, and she was my mate. Mine. The more time we spent together, the more I was realizing it wasn't just our instincts or our souls that are made for each other. This was about a man and a woman who had both fallen hard. Neither one of us has said it, but seeing that smile on her face whenever I showed her how I felt about her said a lot. And the enormity of her feelings, I couldn't believe how in a few weeks, this woman felt so much for me already.

 

"So have you found anything?"

 

"Not yet. Some of the local law enforcement have decided that it's a dead end. Some of the larger federal type agencies are still monitorin' things. I'm comparin' their reports with ours from the first day we received them and so far nothin'." I was getting a little frustrated, something was fishy about this group but I couldn't figure out what.

 

"But it's typical, isn't it? To have the small village law enforcement to give up? I mean, they don't have the funds and even if they did, they're usually paid off by the cartels, right?" Isabella asked while going through the papers and reading the reports.

 

"Yeah which is why I'm relyin' on the US Government's reports, but even then, as you can read, sometimes there is a clear bias as well," I replied.

 

We were still getting used to our gifts and practiced each day with each other but that was a piece of cake compared to figurin' out this Phoenix cartel. Since we've been receiving regular reports, both of us have been stumped while looking them over both in her Ninja Room or what she was now callin' my room; the War Room. That was why I decided to print them out while we were relaxing in the grotto and spread them out on the bed.

 

"Jasper, I just don't understand why they would purposely take some of the prime routes of El Tigre's and yet those who are using it look like small time, poor village folk," Isabella remarked as she was now off the bed and pacing back and forth.

 

Tryin' to ignore the fact that we both hadn't bothered getting dressed yet, I went back to the papers in front of me.

 

"Jasper!" Isabella stopped and gasped. "Have the Feds even physically searched these folks yet? I know we haven't." She sat back down and looked first at the papers and then at me.

 

"They've been given pat downs, but that is about it. We haven't because you know that'll mean that person doesn't make it out alive," I responded. As much as these humans were hell bent on murdering and exploiting each other in the drug trade, we still tried to keep as much of the innocent victims out of it.

 

"I know and I hate the idea of it, but I saw this movie where they had these innocent looking village girls smuggle drugs into the US by swallowing them. If they are crossing the border but they haven't been searched, who's to say that there isn't anything funny going on?"

 

She had a point there. The Feds weren't searching them because they didn't fit the criteria of what a drug mule looked like.

 

"Babe, you know what this means... if we get involved."

 

"Yes and you know I don't like it any more than you do, but I think it needs to be done. It would be our only way to know for sure. I hate the collateral damage but we know our folks will be thorough about it," Isabella said softly. "Ultimately, we have a job to do and if it means it helps us in the long run... well, you know."

 

I could tell she didn't want to make this decision. Hell, as much as these folks were our food source and we were supplyin' them drugs in order to ensure we had readily available food, I hated the idea of killing those who were being exploited. I was glad we weren't the ones that would ultimately be killin' them.

"Babe, what if we instruct Serena and her team to find one that has wandered off? I'm not sayin' it like it is okay but their chances of survivin' out in that desert are greatly reduced once they leave the trail."

 

Isabella snorted. "It will work. I mean, it isn't like I'll lose sleep over it," she said wryly. "If you think there is something suspicious, we need to make sure we check it out. If anybody knows about things not being what they appear to be, I sure as hell do."

 

I got out of the bed and walked over to her, pulling her into my arms. I kissed her before walkin' us over to the closet so we could put on some clothes. I'd never get tired of looking at Isabella's body especially with the sun setting across the sky but could feel the apprehension that was buildin' up within her and I knew she was gonna try to talk about her life after Charlie again.

 

After getting dressed, we walked out into the main room and I went to fix up a pitcher of the bagged blood with grain alcohol. Since she's been staying here more and more, Isabella and I had gone to the store and I now own a pitcher and glassware. Who the fuck would have guessed that I would have a fuckin' pitcher and glass cups as a vampire. I chuckled as I turned on the stove and started to get the blood warmed. After she showed me the first time how to do it, it became second nature now to make our drinks.

 

As the blood slowly warmed, I thought about how lately, after each trip from her apartment, my closet seemed to have a few more of Isabella's clothes hanging. It was nice to see when I walked in there, plus I could smell that tantalizing scent of hers. I had a couple changes of clothes at her apartment but she definitely preferred stayin' out here with me than the luxury high-rise apartment and I didn't mind it one fuckin' bit. She was startin' to add a few touches in my once confirmed bachelor pad; a colorful blanket that was currently draped over the leather couch, a mosaic table she bought at one of the villages and the most significant piece was displayed over my fireplace.

 

I thought back to a couple weeks ago when I saw her openin' one of the boxes she had shipped along with her bike. We were in the garage cleaning when I felt sudden sadness and saw she was cryin' while lookin' at whatever was in the box. I went straight to her and we sat down on the floor as I rocked and comforted her. Inside the box was a maple frame that contained a folded up flag; the one that draped over her father's coffin. His badge sat on top of the blue material. I took the flag and carried her back into the house and set the flag above the mantle. She practically tackled me and held onto me whisperin' 'thank you' over and over. She was so happy by this simple gesture and later confided to me that she had never felt like she had the strength to display it until now.

 

If I had it my way, I'd ask her to move in now but I didn't want to rush things. I promised her that we'd go as slow as she wanted, and I liked that we were taking the time gettin' to know each other.

 

I shook myself out of my daydreaming and slowly mixed everything together, I thought about how Isabella tried to talk to me two nights ago about what happened to her and how she ended up at Volterra. I knew it was hard for her to talk about, losin' her dad like that and in essence, she lost her mom that moment as well.

 

She hinted about illusions and things not seemin' to be what they were but both times she started gettin' agitated when she talked about her breakdown after the funeral. Her pain and sorrow were heavy and so was her regret so I sent her calm and comfort. She abruptly changed the subject after that and she wound up talkin' about her childhood and fond memories of Charlie. I wasn't exactly sure why there was remorse but given how long she was a vampire, I figured this subject would lead to a lot of questions about her change and how she became a part of the Volturi. I wasn't gonna push her and made sure she knew she had my support regardless of whether she could tell me the whole story in one night or if it took her several nights.

 

I grabbed the pitcher with the glasses and headed back to the couch. I knew I'll need to talk to her about the fire soon. It was only right if she confided to me about stuff that I let her know things, too.

 

I handed Isabella a glass and sat down beside her. She immediately leaned against me and flipped the remote so music filled the room. She gulped down her drink and set the glass down on the table before grabbing my hand in hers. I lifted her up while I moved to sit sideways and set her back down so she was laying between my legs. Before I was able to pull her close to me, she had turned over so we were facin' each other. I felt some courage and determination coming off of her as she took a deep breath.

 

"I was a mess when Charlie left," Isabella began just like she did the other night. "I mean if you think about it, I lost both my parents that week not to mention kids from school and a family friend. I immersed myself into my studies eventually, I had wanted to go to college but well..." she sighed.

 

I held her tight and made damn sure she knew how I felt about her.

 

"The first few weeks after the funeral, I sort of fell into a haze. I broke open Charlie's liquor cabinet and drank every bottle. I still went to school but I was different when I went back. I dyed my hair black and probably started to look a bit gothy and shit. I became friends with a new kid and we'd go drinking after school," Isabella whispered and shook her head.

 

I kissed her hair and held her as strong waves of apprehension and regret flowed through from her. Her story had stopped here the past two nights and I was expecting the same until I felt strong determination comin' from her. As much as I wanted to help by sending her confidence, I knew she wanted to do this on her own.

 

"I think I hit rock bottom when I gave up my virginity to him late one night at the school parking lot. It wasn't just a one night thing, I clung onto him for probably another month before I woke the fuck up from my fog and got my ass back into the real world."

 

I wanted to find that boy and drain him for takin' advantage of her while she was an emotional wreck. I wanted to slice into his skin for takin' something that should have been mine. Fuck, it was all I could do to keep from growlin' out but I couldn't and I wouldn't. My woman was in my arms and was distraught over her loss and I needed to take care of her. She needed me and I needed to calm the fuck down and realize that I wasn't hers and she wasn't mine back then.

 

I felt the guilt comin' off of her and continued sendin' her my love. "Isabella, no guilt. You managed to pull yourself out of that and move on. I could only imagine the enormity of what you were feelin' and goin' through. Remember, we cannot change the past, we can only learn the lessons and move on." I pulled her up towards me and kissed her.

 

She sighed before continuin', "I graduated high school but it was a bittersweet afternoon because everybody was hanging out with their families after the ceremony. I had nobody to give me hugs or congratulate me so I just took off the cap and gown and walked to the parking lot."

 

She was sad but very apprehensive. My heart, that had stopped beating for well over a century, broke for her as I pictured the scene in my head.

 

"I'm here, Isabella. No pressure," I whispered as I kissed her hair.

 

Isabella nodded and took a deep breath. She reached over and poured us each a glass before settling back.

 

"I saw her by my truck," she whispered. "Victoria, only she looked different."

 

I growled out this time. We fuckin' left her in danger. I remembered how we had to run her down to Phoenix because her mate James decided he wanted a piece of Bella. Fuck, destroyin' him at that dance studio was probably the closest I was ever allowed to feel free; freer than I ever had while with that family. The feeling of tearin' another vampire apart because they were threatening to hurt Bella was liberating to me. Fuck, were we really supposed to be mates all this time? I always thought it was because he threatened our family as a whole but lookin' back at my reaction back then and the way I want to protect her now, I wondered if... I had to shake myself from thinkin' that. Like I told Isabella, it didn't do us any good to think of the 'wouldas, couldas or shouldas'. I reminded myself that we cannot change the past but we can certainly do something about the future.

 

"Jasper?" Isabella asked with concern, her hands touchin' my face.

 

"I'm sorry babe, hearin' that name brought back some bad memories and it got me thinkin' about some things."

 

"Well, I'm here now, Jasper," Isabella whispered against my lips. It was a quick kiss but it was full of trust, hope, as well as love. I knew that because I was sendin' her the same thing. We might not have said the words yet but we haven't been hidin' our emotions either.

 

I let my feelings flow into her and saw her smile in return. She took a drink and continued.

 

"So yeah, imagine my fucking shock to see Victoria near my truck. Like I said, she looked different. She was cleaned up. Remember the baseball game? I mean my memories are faded but I remember how she had leaves and stuff stuck to her," Isabella continued.

 

I nodded, remembering the small amounts of dried blood that clung to her hair and skin as well. She might not have noticed with her human eyesight but I noticed.

 

"Well, she looked more polished, you know cleaned up. I remembered feeling shock and fear but most of all I was pissed off," Isabella said in a near whisper.

I felt her anxiousness and ran my hand along her back. I could feel her breathin' in my scent and knew she was trying to gather her strength to continue the story. I kissed her once more and added some calm into what I was sendin' her.

 

"Babe, why were you angry more than you were scared?" I asked her. I was confused as to why she was pissed off at seein' Victoria.

 

"Because, he said I was to forget you all ever existed," Isabella began as a huge wave of anger and understanding flooded into me.

 

"Wait... Let me guess, he didn't tell you what happened after the party?" she huffed. "That… I should have known." She took a deep breath. "After he took me home he stayed with me that night and stayed with me until I fell asleep. Did you know that I thought it was sweet when he said he liked watching me sleep? God, I was an idiot, it wasn't sweet, it was downright creepy!" She looked at me sheepishly. "Sorry, I got carried away. When I woke up the next morning, I saw a sticky note next to my alarm that just read 'FORGET US AND MY KIND'. And you know what that asshole did while I was sleeping? He went through all my stuff and took all my pictures and any mementos of him, of the two of us, away. I bet if he could have wiped my fucking memory, he would have."

 

Wow, I was surprised he did that. "Isabella, I didn't know. I was so distraught over what had happened, not to mention I was that bad puppy again, that I didn't really pay any mind to his emotions when he came back. He just said y'all broke up and we needed to move. Of course, he sent me huge amounts of guilt and disappointment, and I just figured it was because of what I did. And the watching while you sleep thing? Yeah, I told him time and time again that it was creepy but I was just a human blood obsessed asshole was his mindset."

 

She held onto me. "Remember, it wasn't your fault. None of this. Now, where was I? So yeah that is why I was pissed, I was supposed to forget vampires ever existed and all that bullshit and yet there was Victoria near my truck. I don't know what possessed me; maybe it was the emotional day, maybe it was the fact that she was right there and therefore disproved that whole nonexistence crap. I looked at her and sneered at before asking what the fuck was she doing here and if she was gonna finish the job."

 

She took another sip and let out a nervous laugh."It is sort of funny if you can picture it now. There I was, human clumsy Bella, practically growling at Victoria. So Victoria kept looking at me. I guess she was taken aback by it all as well. She walked around to my side of the truck and I could see she was hesitant in talking to me. She was definitely different than when we saw her that first time."

I really didn't know what to make of that. To say I was curious was a fuckin' understatement.

 

"The first thing she said was that she was sorry for what happened to me with James. I didn't really trust her even though she had tried to cover the red in her eyes with blue contacts. By the way, have you ever had those things on before? They're a pain in the ass to see out of."

 

I knew when she was nervous or frettin', she would sometimes change the subject like that. I gave Isabella a kiss and continued to give her comfort, calm and love.

 

Isabella sighed. "I was not in the best frame of mind and had been holding a lot of vampire related shit in for so long. I went up to her after her apology and told her to fuck off. I said, if she wanted to do me in, I was ready, I had lost everything. You know what she did?" She looked up and I shook my head. "She pulled me into a hug. I was shocked. I thought she was going to bite me but she hugged me instead. I really must have been starved for some sort of proof that you all existed because when she asked if we could talk I agreed and took her to the house."

 

Seeing that her glass was near empty, I topped us off while tryin' to keep calm myself.

 

"When we got back to the house, she apologized again for James and that was when she noticed the scar on my wrist. I explained to her what happened at the ballet studio and she again apologized. She said I probably wouldn't believe her story as to why she was here but she needed to clear the air. She also suggested that if I was nervous, we could go to a coffee shop and talk. I agreed and she wrote down the address to the cafe in Port Angeles. She said we could meet either later that evening or the next. Seeing that I didn't have anything else better to do, I said that later that evening was fine and she left."

 

If Isabella weren't a vampire, I probably would have yelled at her for trustin' someone who liked playin' games or throttled her ass. But she is here now and in my arms so I couldn't really yell at her human ass for wantin' some sort of companionship, seein' all the bullshit she was given by that asshole coward.

 

"So after she left, it dawned on me the possible danger and even though I was meeting her later in a public place, I should be prepared. I grabbed a lighter I had and stuck it in my pocket and went about in fixing some dinner. I also left a note on the kitchen table in case I never made it back. It wasn't like I could say that I was taken by vampires so the note simply said 'Edward Cullen'," she shrugged. "Figured if I didn't make it back, I'd get the last laugh and all."

 

I shook my head at her audacity. Inwardly though, I was fuckin' grateful that she was here with me and she was mine.

 

"When I got there, I was glad it there was a small crowd and it was a cozy atmosphere. I ordered a latte and sat next to some chairs with my back against my wall. A few minutes later I saw her coming in with two other females and they were all wearing similar dark colored cloaks. They were Volturi but I didn't know that back then."

 

I was shocked. I don't think I could have spoken a damn word at that point. I felt her hand press my chin up as my jaw must have fuckin' dropped at that news.

 

"She was Volturi?" I asked as I downed my drink.

 

"Yeah, but I didn't know that at first. They all ordered espressos and sat down next to me. I remember being a little intimidated. There was a beautiful curvy vampire with beautiful reddish brown hair and next to her was a petite young vampire. They all had purple eyes and were smiling at me. Victoria introduced them as Heidi and Jane and they were a couple of the guards of the Volturi. Of course, none of this really meant anything to me at first as I sat there. I mean, guards of the vampire kingdom, sitting in a small coffee shop in Port Angeles with Bella Swan was just something that never would have come across my mind." Isabella smiled.

 

I could see she was a little more relaxed and I was feelin' some fondness come through as she started to talk about her sisters.

 

"So we sat there and Victoria explained she was deep undercover when she was with James. She was actually a Volturi spy but was given that mission to gather information which she couldn't divulge at the time. After he was destroyed, she was extracted by Heidi and Jane and sent back to Volterra… What?" She looked at me and I must have been projectin' my shock and confusion.

 

"She was a spy? But how? I would have been able to feel deception but she acted like James' companion and maybe more than that," I replied. "I mean, with my personal experience, I was always given negative emotions that masked the true hidden ones but I never felt that with those two, they seemed genuine."

 

"Have you heard of Chelsea? She's one of the guards at Volterra and she has a gift. She has a way of creating and breaking bonds. She was able to break Victoria's bond from the Volturi and her family and bond her to James. It was such a brutal break of a bond that all her memories were deeply suppressed. It had to be convincing." Isabella grabbed her glass and drank before continuing on. "As to why she was there, I didn't know until later, after we heard about the fire, I was already in the Guard. Janey and Heidi confided to me that it had something to do with the Cullens... Jasper!" Isabella yelled out and grabbed a hold of my shirt. "Fuck, do you think that there is a link between what Victoria was up to and what they were doing to control you?"

 

"Darlin', I'm not sure. Are you able to find out from Victoria?" I asked her and gently pulled her hands off my shirt. I tried to figure out what possibly could have been the reason for them wantin' to control me like that. Was it so big that the Volturi had to keep a watch over us?

 

"I can't," she said with sadness. "Before I arrived at Volterra, she was assigned to another mission where she had to go deep again. A few months after I had been changed, late spring 2007 to be exact, she was destroyed. Apparently, the group she infiltrated discovered she was a mole and she was burned. They sent her ashes back along with a video tape but I never saw it. The night we found out about her death, Janey and Heidi told me that it had to do with the Cullens," she said and emphasized the last word like it was an epitaph.

 

Isabella got up and reached for my hand. I knew where she wanted to go when she switched the speakers to the outdoor ones and grabbed the blanket off the couch. We walked together out to the courtyard. She surprised me nearly two weeks ago when a human showed up at the door delivering the wide lounger she had apparently bought online. We laid out there holdin' hands while listening to the music and the water.

 

Isabella shook her head before lookin' up at me. "So, I got a little side tracked there, but yeah, there we were at a fucking coffee shop. Three human drinking vampires with blue contacts and me, amazingly though, they were really nice and I found myself enjoying their company, Heidi and Jane especially. Victoria was the most subdued of the three; to the point where even I was wondering if anything was wrong. I found out later that her demeanor, the strange quietness was the result of her bonds being broken and bound a few too many times.

 

"So we spent most of the night just talking at the cafe and they wanted to know if they could stop by the next day. I gave them my cell phone number and they said they would show up late morning. The next morning, they showed up at my doorstep, dressed in more casual clothes, with a cinnamon roll and a latte. We spent the day just chit chatting. They expressed their concern about the fact that I was still human and knew their secret. Plus, they added, Laurent was still around."

 

"Isabella, I don't think you would have had to worry about him. I saw him while in Alaska and he occupied most of his time tryin' to get on Irina's good side."

 

"I found that out once I got to Volterra but at the time, nobody knew his whereabouts. I was alone and really felt like I had no ties there anymore, so I asked if I had any choices or if I was going to be their meal before they left. They said that if I wanted to, I could accompany them back to Volterra because Gianna, their human secretary, was going to be changed soon and they needed a human to run the front desk for appearances. I was obviously concerned about my safety while in a vampire castle but they said any human who worked at the castle was highly protected and paid a substantial amount. They also added that if I wished, I could take part in their education system and had my choice of a degree anywhere in the world."

 

Isabella looked at me and grinned. I felt the pride coming off of her and I couldn't help but smile back.

 

"You just graduated from high school and you were bein' offered a job with the Volturi?"

 

"I did but you know what the best thing was? I ended up attending Stanford online and getting a degree in Psychology a couple years after I got there."

 

I quickly did the math and realized that she completed her degree in her first couple years as a vampire. I was proud of her, bein' a newborn wasn't easy and to be able to study during that time your body and mind were trying to adjust to this new life was something I didn't see often. It did help if she was kept well fed and had a pretty stable environment, which for many people, myself included, wasn't always the case. I put my arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to me and sent her my pride as I kissed her along her neck.

 

"Babe, I am fuckin' proud of you for bein' able to accomplish that durin' your newborn year. Not many of us are able to do shit like that, bein' our control is sometimes near impossible to manage."

 

"That will be another story another day but yeah, I took care of some stuff the following few weeks at Forks. Heidi and Jane helped me get the house sold and stuff like that and I was off to Italy."

 

I couldn't wait to hear about her change and how she went from bein' the secretary to Volturi guard. I was curious but I was willin' to wait.

 

"Jasper, thank you for being patient with me. It is just that some things are hard to talk about," Isabella said softly. Her eyes were directed down and I could feel that she was admonishing herself for not bein' able to talk to me.

 

"Isabella stop," I said as I kissed her temple. I lifted her chin so I could look at her. "There is no need to beat yourself up for not bein' able to talk about shit. There are some things that I haven't talked about yet either. This isn't a contest or anything, darlin'. It is us and there is no need for a time table or a schedule."

 

"I just... I want to open up but I get nervous because for so long, I've kept everything in and even though I have a couple cool sisters, when it comes right down to it, I've always felt a sense of not belonging. And now with you, I suddenly feel like I could tell you everything but my brain and my heart seem to be working at different speeds and I get all turned around. Fuck, I'm rambling again."

 

I needed to get her feelin' less self conscious about this and found the perfect distraction. I heard a song playin' through the speakers and knew the words were just perfect for this moment.

 

"Dance with me, darlin'?" I asked as I reached for her hands.

 

She placed them in mine and I helped her up off the lounger. I held one hand between us and my other hand rested against the small of her back as I pulled her close against my chest. Her free hand reached up and she caressed the back of my neck.

 

_Dancin' in the dark, middle of the night, takin' your heart and holdin' it tight_

_Emotional touch, touchin' my skin, and asking you to do_

_What you've been doin' all over again_

_Oh, it's a beautiful thing, don't think I can keep it all in_

_I just gotta let you know, what it is that won't let me go -_

We slowly moved in time with the music, all the while I continued sendin' my feelings to her. I could feel hers flowin' in waves. As the song finished I reached down ready to kiss her lips and finally tell her.

 

"I love you, Isabella Swan Charles."

 

Isabella looked at me, tears glistenin' under the full moon and in a soft whisper, I heard the words I had been longin' to hear for what seemed like forever.

 

"I love you, Jasper Whitlock."


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you once again to my fabulous ladies, DarkNNerdy, JaspersBella, SparklingFae and MsMynxi. You are absolutely awesome.
> 
> When this first posted, a few people were a little bit confused about the whole cartel thing and why would our sexy vampires be involved. Here is an excerpt back from chapter 1 that hinted on the reasons:
> 
> This wasn't the first time I had been asked to destroy a drug cartel. Our vampire leaders wanted in on this knowin' that it would give us more feedin' opportunities. When one of these humans got greedy though, it was time for me to step in and clean things up. Sure it was a little nefarious because I wasn't stoppin' this drug war; I was just usin' it to my advantage. Drugs were gonna be a part of humanity regardless. So long as innocent children weren't involved, and I knew our vampire leaders were against that, I was gonna get my piece of the proverbial pie.
> 
> More information will be revealed but for now, that should help answer some questions.
> 
> As always, SM owns it all.

**Chapter 9**

_**Songs:** _

 

_**Blind – Lifehouse** _

_**Break – Three Days Grace** _

 

 

**BPOV**

“ Jasper, come on we’ve been going through these reports and aerial photos for a while now. And until we get a report from Serena, we probably won’t find anything new,” I said as I watched Jasper look over the reports one more time.

 

I walked over to him and wrapped my arms around his waist. I knew he was frustrated; this Phoenix cartel was probably a step above enigma, and clues in trying to figure them out where small at best.

 

It had taken Serena and her team nearly four days since we sent them the new directive to nab a possible drug mule for interrogation for them to actually come across a young woman who had wandered out into the desert in a state of delirium. We received the report soon after sunrise today. She was nearly unconscious when they found her and they were getting her hydrated so they could question her. I hated that we had to had to take a victim in that manner because it would ultimately mean we'd have to destroy a life, but given the fact we hadn’t found any answers, it was something we had to do. Jasper's suggestion that we wait until one of them wandered off the drug route and into the desert was a good idea.

 

Jasper sighed and ran his fingers through his hair before resting his chin on my head. “Babe, we should find somethin’ from this woman that’ll help. She sounds like she might fit the profile so far.”

 

On a whim, we also instructed our surveillance group to start profiling everybody who crossed the border to see if there was a common thread. We figured government agencies did that so it wouldn’t hurt if we did as well. What we learned so far was not everyone, but a high majority of the humans did come from small rural villages that engaged in the cartel, and were probably easily lured into a false promise of a better life. There were also humans from larger villages also. The thing that caught our attention was the demographic. Most of the humans that were observed were fairly young, probably high school age and attractive; both male and female. Why that seemed to be important, we had no idea, but it seemed as though it was something to add to our list.

 

I looked up and kissed Jasper on the lips. “Well, in the meantime handsome, how about we go down to the lake?” I smiled and thought about how fucking lucky I am to have someone like Jasper in my life.

 

“ I don’t know they might send us somethin’ soon,” Jasper said, and I could see he was really debating whether to have a little bit of fun or stay and work.

 

“ Well, suit yourself,” I answered as I went into the closet and slipped on a dark blue string bikini and headed out the bedroom.

 

I knew I probably wouldn’t make it too far without the pain and figured at worse, I’ll just head out to the courtyard and soak up the warmth. Well that did the trick, Jasper caught me as I ran past him, tossed his shirt aside and threw me over his shoulder. He ran us half way down the mountain before veering off to the edge. During the many times we’ve gone up and down his narrow driveway up to his house, I had never noticed the small overgrown walking trail that sprung out from the main path. The trail led us to a small, narrow rock ledge overlooking the lake. We stood out there and enjoyed the view until I made a leap forward and dove into the water doing a double somersault. Jasper followed with a corkscrew combination that probably would have earned him a gold medal. I waved to Jasper before sinking to the bottom of the pool and sitting down. I watched as the sediment that was kicked up by the nearby waterfall swirled around. I felt a tug on my hair and saw that Jasper was standing next to me with his hand extended. I smiled and placed my hand in his and he twirled me a couple times while we were still at the lake bottom before pointing upwards.

 

We surfaced and laid down next to each other on a warm flat rock. I turned my head so I could look at him. We spent most of the past couple of days talking about his past. What he had been through in his life was just fucking unbelievable. There was so much he had seen; both with his human eyes and his vampire ones. And yet here he was, here we were, laying here on a flat rock, together. A smile graced his face as I continued thinking how brave he was for fighting in a war at such a young age. And then that one night that changed his life as he knew it. I reached over and traced a random bite mark on his bicep. What he had to do in order to survive was painful and hellish but I am so glad he was able to make it out of there.

 

I had cried and sobbed a few times while he told me his story. There were other moments when he had to stop and calm me down because I wanted to find a certain raven-haired devil woman and sever her head for what she put my Jasper through. When I learned how he managed to leave her I was even more appreciative of Peter and Char for what they did.

 

I didn’t like it but I understood why he was willing to try a life with them; with the Cullens. After all the death and destruction that he faced and how he felt when he drank from innocent humans, I understood why he sought a more peaceful life. After a lifetime of war, I really didn’t blame him for wanting a quieter existence.

 

“ Isabella, those are some pretty strong emotions you’re pourin’ out there. Everything okay?” Jasper turned to me with a look of concern in his eyes.

 

His eyes, fuck. They are always so full of expression; the menacing glare as he sent terror to his meals, the love and amazement as we rode out an orgasm, and now the concern that filled his eyes.

 

I leaned over and pulled him into a quick but heated kiss. “I’m fine. I was just thinking about you and how much I admire you. You’ve been through so much not just from your own personal perspective but from a historical one as well. Most of all though, I was thinking how much I fucking love you, Jasper,” I whispered against his lips.

 

It had been just a few days ago when I finally told him what my heart had been telling me for a while. I was nervous as hell but then he took me into his arms and the song, the moment, I knew it was time to tell him how I felt.

 

“ And I fuckin’ love you, Isabella,” he replied as he pulled me closer to him. “I didn’t mean to upset you with my past. I don't want to hide anything from you, ever and I’m sorry for sharin’ some things that upset you.”

 

“ Jasper, neither one of us came into this as naïve virgins so I am not upset,” I said as nonchalantly as I could, adding a silent ‘much’ to the end of my sentence. I tried not to let his exploits bother me, but it did.

 

It was irrational to feel that way, I knew it, but I couldn’t help but feel inadequate as well as jealous that he had been with other women. I now understood how he had felt when I told him about that boy and the parking lot. As we were waiting for the sun to rise that morning, after finally telling him about my life after Charlie's death, he admitted that he was jealous and he fought with himself to keep from chasing after that boy and draining him dry. I closed my eyes and thought about how he said we couldn’t change our pasts but we were together now and that was what was most important.

 

“ Hey, none of that. It is you and no one else,” he vowed. “I promise you. And I don’t ever want you feelin’ inadequate. I didn’t want to bring up your feelings but I felt that. Isabella, I promise you, no woman has ever made me feel this way and I’m so fuckin’ lucky to have you in my life. You’re so full of fire and passion, you care so deeply. Darlin’, there are times when I wonder if you might have a little empathic gift of your own. I have never known anyone else to feel as deep as you; even as a human. I wanted to get to know you but wasn’t allowed, as you know. You have touched me deeper than anybody ever has, and that kind of touch, even though we’re not officially marked, I feel it right here.” He took my hand in his, gave it a kiss and placed my hand over where his heart once beat.

 

His words shook me to my very being. A few days ago, I followed my heart and told him how I felt. But now, with his very words, with the look of fierce determination that seemed to pierce into my soul, my brain finally realized and accepted it. It finally knew that I was as much Jasper’s air as he was mine.

 

I couldn’t express with words the way he just made me feel. I didn’t think I could even talk without choking up. I felt my tears start prickling in my eyes and all I could do was hold him and hope like hell he felt everything that I was trying to show him.

 

“ Shhh, Isabella, I’m here,” he whispered as he sat up and pulled me into his lap so I was facing him. “Come on, let’s head back.”

 

We headed back to his house at a leisurely pace with our arms around each other. I kept thinking how good this felt, going back to his place. I definitely preferred it to the penthouse apartment and would probably move here in a heartbeat if he asked. I wondered if I should ask him? By now, I probably had more things here than I did over there.

 

_Stop being a chickenshit and ask! You’re mates for crying out loud!_

 

“ Jasper?” I began, knowing that if I were human, I’d probably be hyperventilating by now.

 

Jasper stopped and looked at me. I guess I must have been throwing out some crazy ass emotions right now because he didn’t say anything and just picked me up and held onto me, sending me doses of calm and comfort.

 

I shut my eyes tightly as I tried to breathe in his scent and center my thoughts before trying again.

 

“ Um, could I... I mean would you mind,” I started, “doyoumindifimovedinwithyou?” I took a deep breath. “I mean, would you mind if I moved in with you?”

 

Jasper looked at me and smiled before spinning us around. “Babe, you really mean it? I don’t want to rush things but I’d love it if you did.”

 

“ Yeah, I don’t like the apartment much and we’re together and all. I love your place so much more.” I laughed, partly because I was giddy as hell and partly because he wanted me to move in with him.

 

“ Well come on!” Jasper nearly yelled as he smacked me on the ass and ran us back into the house.

 

When we got back, he dragged me into the closet and quickly threw on some clothes. Seeing that he was in a hurry, I did the same. When I was dressed, he raced us down to the garage before he helped me into his truck. He wasn’t upset, in fact he was beyond happy and was projecting his emotions as he started the truck and we started down the mountain.

 

“ Jasper,” I laughed, “where the fuck are we going in such a hurry?”

 

“ I’m movin’ you in, woman!” he said as he got the truck onto the main road now. “It’s the middle of the night and nobody is gonna notice if I happen to be carryin’ more stuff than a normal human.”

 

It was a quick trip to my place, our clothes were quickly packed. I even packed a few of the pottery pieces we bought during our shopping excursions. In less than 30 minutes, we had things loaded into the truck and were on the road heading back towards the mountain, back to Jasper’s; no, back to our home. For the first time I finally felt like the word home had true meaning.

 

As he turned onto the mountain path, I sat up and brushed my hand against the plane of his face. “Thank you Jasper, thank you so much,” I whispered before kissing him quickly.

 

“ Always. I’m glad to be sharin’ my life with you,” Jasper answered and pulled me close to him; his arm around my shoulder.

 

When we got back, we grabbed my stuff and headed up to our house. I was hanging the rest of my clothes in his closet when Jasper came racing back in.

 

“ Serena sent us a report.”

 

“ Oh? What did she say?” I asked.

 

“ I haven’t opened it; I wanted to tell you as soon as I saw it come through,” he replied.

 

We walked back into the War Room. I saw his email was up but he hadn’t clicked on Serena’s report just yet. We looked at each other. I was cautiously optimistic as I reached over and squeezed Jasper’s hand.

 

“ Me too, babe. I hope we find somethin’ out but I am not tryin’ to get my hopes up too high,” Jasper said as we sat down and opened the report.

 

_Subject: Young Hispanic female approximately 17 years, name Claudia_

 

_Subject was found dehydrated, nearly unconscious and required intravenous fluids. After several hours she was coherent enough to provide us with information. At 1807, she woke up and we started to interrogate her. She stated that she signed something, a contract of sorts, and was told after two trips carrying drugs into the United States, she would be able to stay there and work for a wealthy family. She was told that under no circumstance must she be involved sexually with anybody. That would render their agreement null and void. The subject explained they gave her just enough money to keep her family from the brink of starvation and was told she wouldn’t receive more until after her second trip._

 

_She informed us that she was given a thorough physical exam prior to her job and then she was given balloons with drugs in them to swallow. She states she was given fake identification and she was gagged and blindfolded before being placed inside a vehicle; possibly a van. Once they reached their destination, she was released and was told to follow the trail until she saw the blue truck._

 

_She said she followed the road with nothing but the clothes on her back, a water bottle, and her ID. She started to feel ill and dizzy and we assume she wandered off by that point._

 

_We would have interrogated her more but she started going into a seizure so we did the humane thing and ended her life at 1905. Her blood tasted off and upon examination, we discovered that a couple of the balloons had burst in her and she would have died of a drug overdose, regardless._

 

_I should point out that while she was unconscious, I looked her over and noticed that she had recently had blood drawn. My guess is that it was during her exam. I could tell that whoever stuck the needle in her wasn’t trained properly based on the bruising on her arm. I did check for other injuries but didn’t find any. I did notice her distended abdomen and figured she had been made to swallow the drugs._

 

_I’m running a test on them now but it doesn’t look like anything unusual._

_S –_

 

We looked at each other and then the report. Although it was brief, it gave us more information than we’ve had the past few weeks from the human investigative agencies.

 

“ Isabella, was Serena in the medical field before she became a vampire?” Jasper asked.

 

“ I don’t know the exact specifics, but she was a doctor of sorts in her human life. Now she likes that we sometimes call her the mad scientist,” I said as I read the report again. “Jasper? Is it typical for a cartel to do blood draws and such before they send their mules out?”

 

“ It isn’t typical. Most of the drug lords don’t care, which is most likely why she bruised. I’ve seen reports of some that don’t even care if the woman is with child. They are nuthin’ more than a vehicle for their product,” he spat. I could hear the disgust dripping off of Jasper. “I’ve also seen some that were relatively kinder like compensatin’ the family more generously than brink of starvation.”

 

I nodded and began to see that while we considered humans to be our food source, and once in a while we’d even play with our food, we weren’t as cruel as we seemed. Some of the atrocities we’d hear on the news just didn’t compare.

 

“ What about the sexual relationship thing? That was just weird, wasn’t it?” I couldn’t figure out why that was an important factor that would render the contract null and void.

 

“ That and the wealthy family thing was strange. I’ve seen them bein’ turned out on the streets after they fulfilled their job but that was somethin’ that stood out to me as well,” he said.

 

He had pulled out a CD and was now searching furiously over the files looking for something specific. “Fuck! That motherfuckin’, double crossin’ ass!” he fumed.

 

I rubbed my hand down his back and he pulled me into his lap and breathed my scent in. I looked at the monitor to see what he was looking at and it was a folder that contained absolutely nothing.

 

“ Jasper? What’s wrong?”

 

I could feel the rumbling from his chest as a growl tried to break loose. I held onto him like the times he’s calmed me down and thought about the love I had for this man and how happy he’s made me. I kissed and nipped along his neck and jaw.

 

“ Mmmm, thanks darlin’, I needed that,” Jasper whispered.

 

“ What happened, why did you get so upset?” I asked against his neck.

 

Jasper moved me to the other chair before getting up and pacing about the room, running his fingers through his hair.

 

“ I suddenly remembered somethin’ my previous partner had mentioned. This was before I realized he was a double agent and he mentioned somethin’ about a group that drew blood out of their drug mules. I wasn’t payin’ much attention to him because he liked talkin’ my ear off and I was gettin’ ready to make a trip back to see Peter and Char and be a part of their weddin’.”

 

I smiled at the mention of his brother and sister. He stopped pacing and sat back on his chair once again pulling me onto his lap.

 

“ Yeah, this was before y’all got Serena out here, most of the problems were out in Southeast Asia so there were more agents out there than here. So while I was still a consultant for the Volturi, he worked as both my partner and field observer most of the time, so we barely saw each other. We were talkin’ to each other so that we could catch up on things and he happened to mention that.”

 

“ Wouldn’t you have backup tapes or files in your War Room?” I asked.

 

“ Babe, he was never here. I had an office in the city back then. I’d go there and do my reports. Buildin’ the War Room and the cave tub were my side projects at the time so this place was a construction zone. Unfortunately, I didn’t think anything was wrong even though he was always afraid and intimidated of me. It wasn’t until the office buildin’ was torched one night destroyin’ everything that I started putting things together about him and then I realized he purposely set out to destroy the mission we were working on. Which is why I sent his ashes back to Italy.”

 

“ Yeah, I didn’t know Serge all that well but he wasn’t well liked amongst the Volturi. He was a smug son of a bitch who tried to be charming, but he was like a used car salesman,” I muttered. “An office building, Jasper? I’m sorry about the building being burned down.” I looked at him and tried to imagine him wearing a suit to work day in and day out.

 

“ Lust darlin’? What is goin’ on in that devious mind of yours, my minx?”

 

I turned my body so I was straddling him and looked up and smiled. “While I like you in your jeans or even better, without anything on, I was just picturing you in a nice suit,” I said as I played with the buttons on his shirt.

 

“ Well, I’ll keep that in mind, darlin’,” he chuckled and kissed my nose and worked on the computer again. “I’m sendin’ a quick note to Serena thankin’ her for the report. I’m also askin’ that if she gets a mule comin’ by on their second trip, to have them tailed. While it doesn’t guarantee we’ll find something it might help rule some things out. Hey, since you’re not living in the apartment anymore, how would you feel about me invitin’ Peter and Char to come visit us for a bit? I could have Peter fly my plane down here so we can have it in case we need to fly somewhere.”

 

Wow, meeting Peter and Char, I nodded. I was looking forward to meeting them but I would have been lying if I didn’t say I was nervous.

 

“ That would be great! They wouldn’t mind coming out here? Wait, did you say your plane?” I knew I shouldn’t be surprised but I was.

 

“ Yes ma’am, I’ve got a Gulfstream jet that Peter’s been borrowin’ the past year,” he said as he looked at me and brushed my hair with his fingers. “Why are you worried, babe? Is it Peter and Char? If you’re not ready to meet them, I don’t have to...”

 

I pressed my finger against his lips. “No, I want to meet them. I just get a little nervous sometimes meeting new people, especially significant people. I guess that is something I carried from my human days,” I explained and scrunched my face up. “I wish I didn’t get that way but I do.” I snorted before adding, “at least I don’t fucking blush anymore.”

 

“ Isabella,” Jasper chuckled and hugged me tighter. “I fuckin’ love you so damn much. They will love you, I guarantee it and if I happen to be wrong, you can pin him against a wall with your shield and I’ll send him enough angst and sadness he’ll be cryin’ like a little girl.”

 

I laughed. “I fucking love you Jasper and thank you.” I knew Jasper was teasing but if it came down to it, I knew he’d do anything to make me feel better. “Will they expect me to be like her?” I knew Jasper had been with that bitch for a long time and last thing I wanted to do was be compared to that fucking perky little pixie.

 

"Darlin', don't you ever worry about that. They will love you for you," Jasper answered and used his emotions and touch to once again reassure my insecurities. "Come on, let's sit outside and we can talk about this. You want me to make us some drinks?”

 

I smiled at his offer as I thought of the first time I offered that to him and the face he made. “Only if you need some, I am fine.”

 

We headed outside and settled down on the chaise lounge that I had surprised him with. It was big enough we could lay on it comfortably though most of the time I enjoyed lying close to him, if not on him.

 

“ So, I guess I need to talk to you about what lead up to the Cullens’ demise. I want to tell you before I even invite Peter and Char out here because they are family and even though they supported my decision to lead a different life, they never thought the Cullens treated me fair. I’m tellin’ you this because they won’t pull punches on them and I don’t want you to get blindsided with details I haven’t talked to you about.”

 

“ Alright,” I nodded and squeezed his hand. I wanted to show him that I was here for him, no matter what.

 

Jasper took a deep breath. “So you know how I came into that family and I’ve told you that I was convinced, first by the pixie and then by the rest them, that we were meant to be together,” he whispered before brushing his fingers along my cheek. “Isabella, believe me when I say that I never felt this strongly with anybody before you.”

 

I took his hand into mine and placed it over my heart. I wanted to show him that I believed him and that I would be strong as he talked about that former so-called family of his.

 

“ You remember what I said about Esme’s mind? Well we made the decision to leave and head back to Forks for Carlisle’s medical convention thing. On the way down, I rode with Carlisle and Esme. Whenever I could, I would try to avoid bein’ around Alice. I was sick and tired of the constant naggin’ and distrust she had and because Esme was unstable, I jumped at the opportunity to ride down with them in hopes of learnin’ more about what they’ve been up to all this time. I was supposed to make sure I kept her calm but I might have accidentally sent her fury a few times while in the car,” he shrugged and winked at me.

 

I grinned back at him. “Very sly Jasper, I like the way you think,” I said and winked back.

 

“ I did that the whole trip and just sent my apologies to Carlisle whenever she had her outbursts. I simply told him her mind was seriously deteriorating and I couldn’t always control her. By the time we got to Forks, she was a fuckin’ mess and he had to carry her into the forest and must have force fed her some furry critter.”

 

“ How were you able to keep the Wonder Twins from finding all this out? You know, Esme and shit like that?” I asked, genuinely curious.

 

“ Well, you remember that day when we were in the city and I was able to send one set of emotions to a group of people and then other people got other emotions? I made sure my dominate thoughts and decisions stayed neutral all the while I was observin’ and studyin' them like prey. I figured after a few weeks of doing that and the Wonder Twins didn’t notice, I could see if I could do the same thing only instead of surveyin’ them, I was making decisions and plans. I started small and nuthin’ that would draw attention, like what I wanted to feed on. Progressively, I made bigger and bigger decisions always makin’ sure I hid them with my neutral thoughts. If you think about it that was basically what they had done to me for all that time. And if anybody were to question why I kept to myself more, I’d just say that everybody’s emotions were just wearin’ on me because of Esme.”

 

He wrapped his arm around me and pulled me tighter against him. “I made the decision to do it after Carlisle got back from his convention. People were expecting him so I didn’t want to draw too much unwanted attention. The day I was going to make my move, Alice confronted me.”

 

I growled as I imagined ripping that spiky haired pixie’s head off and then lighting it on fire. I felt Jasper running his hand down my back and I breathed in deep trying to calm down so he could finish talking.

 

“ Isabella, nobody has ever wanted to protect me or defend me that fiercely before,” he said softly; his voice full of emotion as he brushed his lips against mine. I grabbed his shirt tightly as he hooked my leg over his hips and I parted my lips letting his tongue touch my own, my hips rocked against him in reaction. A moan escaped my mouth as he grabbed my hair and pulled my head back and licked along my neck. “I can’t wait to until you wear my mark and I wear yours,” his voice was gruff as he continued licking and sucking along my neck.

 

Fuck, as much as I enjoyed this, I wanted to hear what happened. I know that as I have shared with him my history, it felt as though I was no longer carrying the burden on my own. So as much as I wanted to continue kissing him, I knew this would make him feel tons better.

 

I reluctantly untangled from him and gave him a quick kiss. “There will be more of that later,” I promised as I laid my head on his chest. “Tell me what happened when she confronted you.”

 

Jasper hugged me closer to his body. “She said that she saw me visiting Peter and Char and she said my eyes were red. I looked at her and acted like I was ignorin’ her but I was tryin’ to get a deeper read and noticed she was tryin’ to hide her deception. I wasn’t sure what this deception was anymore and to be honest, I didn’t give a shit. I had enough of this game. I was enraged beyond anything. I sent a vicious stream of fear through the whole fuckin’ house except for the pixie. I went up to her quickly and whispered, “game over” as I ripped her head right off. I ripped the rest of her apart and then raced downstairs to where the family was. They were frozen in fear but still I sent a mass dose of lethargy and even more fear to everybody there. My initial dose of had caught Eddie by surprise so there was no warning. I brought the Alice pieces down while everybody was still frozen, grabbed my hat and the bottle of alcohol that I bought just for this occasion. I ripped a piece of designer fabric off of the broken pixie and lit my Zippo, creatin’ a Molotov cocktail. I also lit her parts on fire usin’ the venom as fuel and set her head atop the burnin’ pile. I made damn sure that her throat was engulfed in flames. And right before walkin’ out of that house and away from that life, I spat venom into the flame, tipped my hat and shut the fuckin’ door.”

 

Wow, he played their games which ultimately lead to their demise. I think had I still been the girl from Forks whose dad was Chief of Police, I would have felt sad, but things changed. Shit happened that I couldn’t control and I was fucking glad that I made the decisions I made that ultimately lead me here, with Jasper, my mate and now us living together.

 

“ Jasper, I’m fucking proud of you for getting out of there. When the news got to Volterra, they sent a team to make sure any evidence of vampires was destroyed.” I hugged him. “Come on Jasper. Thank you for sharing that with me. Let’s call your brother and sister and invite them over.”


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again thank you so much for my FABULOUS team of ladies: DarkNNerdy, JaspersBella, SparklingFae and Mynxi. You all ROCK and both Jasper and Isabella has told me so.
> 
> I still don't own anything it belongs to SM still. I don't own the hot Mustang Shelby either .

**Chapter 10**

_**SONGS:** _

 

_**Starlight – Muse** _

_**Ramblin' Man – Allman Brothers** _

 

 

**JPOV**

 

“Jasper, why are we at a car lot? Please tell me you’re not going to sell the truck,” Isabella asked and worry radiated off her.

 

Peter and Char were landing in a few hours and they needed a car. Last time I let them borrow my truck I seriously regretted it and knew the best thing would be to get them a car of their own. 

 

“Darlin’, if I don’t get them a car of their own to drive, they’ll use our truck and last time, not only did I have a set of rubber truck balls hangin’ off it, I had to give the damn fuckin’ truck to them, since they used the back seat as Peter called it, their private rodeo.”

 

Isabella shuddered and I pulled her closer to me as we hit the lot. “Well then why not get the fucker a Smart Car or better yet, a pimp car like the ones we see when we get dinner?” she suggested with a snicker.

 

I liked her idea and if I could find a pimp car in a couple hours, I’d fuckin’ do it. Just then she stopped dead in her tracks and I felt a sense of sadness and longing comin’ from her. “Babe, what’s goin’ on?” I asked and noticed she was looking at a brand new Mustang Shelby, black with black stripes. 

 

“I wasn’t much of a car person as a human but I remember Charlie talking about always wanting a Mustang. If I didn’t have my bike, I’d probably either get this car or the Camaro SS,” she smiled softly. “I learned a little bit about cars after my change. Or rather, appreciate them more. While I like the sleek lines of a Maserati, I love the look of the modern day muscle car.” 

 

She was definitely a woman after my own heart. “Well darlin', if they don’t fuck this car up after they leave, you can drive this around if you want,” I said, noticing a salesman startin' towards us.

 

“Jasper, bargain for two of them, they can have their own. I don’t want to deal with bargaining and I think you’d do a better job. I want a black on black one,” Isabella spoke rapidly and winked.

 

“Yes ma’am,” I replied just as the salesman arrived. 

 

After an hour of bargaining and giving the salesman some feel good vibes, we left with a Shelby Mustang for Peter and Char and another one on order for Isabella. She was so happy, especially with the deal we got, that she practically threw her bank card at the man which surprised the hell out of me. I hadn’t expected that she buy both the cars but as we hopped into the Mustang, she explained that she wanted to give Peter and Char a gift as a thank you for rescuing me all those years ago. Once again, she surprised me by doing somethin’ like that. 

 

She pulled up behind my truck and looked at me. We haven’t been in separate vehicles since we met. Even when we ride the bikes, we rode together. 

 

“You sure you want to try this, babe?” I reached over and pulled her closer to me kissing her. 

 

“There isn’t a whole lot of traffic and it is a short drive to the airport,” Isabella whispered and took a deep breath. I could feel she was steeling herself and was trying to be brave about the situation. “We need to try this.”

 

I nodded and reluctantly got out of the car and into the truck. We knew over time, it would be near impossible to never be separated especially if we were on a mission. This was a chance to test ourselves without bein’ thrown into it unexpectedly. I really hoped that once we were marked, the pull will lessen and we wouldn’t have suffer from short separations. 

 

I rubbed my chest as I turned onto the main road. I was thinkin’ about how close I got earlier this morning to marking her, but at the last minute it just didn’t feel right as much as I wanted to. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to mark her, my instincts to do so were strong. I just didn’t feel like _I_ was quite ready. As much as I was lookin’ forward to it, I wasn’t going to do it just because instincts were telling me to. It had to feel right to me in order to take that next step. I looked at my rear view mirror and saw Isabella right behind me. I pulled into the next lane and slowed down so we were side by side. I cracked open the window and she did the same. 

 

“You doin’ alright, darlin?” I asked, knowing she could hear me even with the road noise. 

 

“I’m fine. I’m fucking glad we’re nearly there,” she responded and gave me a small smile. 

 

I nodded and pulled ahead of her knowing she would follow. A couple minutes later I pulled into the airport parking lot and found a couple spaces under a canopy of trees that were next to each other. Sure enough, she zipped right behind me and pulled up next to the truck. As soon as I shut off the engine I was out of the truck and was practically pullin' out of the car and into my arms. We held onto each other for a while breathin’ each other’s scents. 

 

“Fuck Jasper,” Isabella breathed heavily, “that was not easy but we did it, didn’t we?” She had her head against my chest and I ran my fingers through her hair. 

 

“No it wasn’t and as much as I didn’t want to go through that, I am glad that we did without outside pressure,” I whispered. I lifted her chin with my finger. “Soon, Isabella we’ll know when its time but I think that time will be soon, and it will be somethin’ we both will want.” I knew I wouldn’t have to elaborate, she’d know exactly what I’m talkin’ about. 

 

“I don’t want to force it either. How much time do we have until they land?” she asked and I could feel her nervousness comin’ out again. 

 

“Couple hours, come on,” I walked us over to the bed of the truck and opened the tailgate before lifting her up onto it. I got in and we sat in the truck bed; Isabella between my legs and we just watched the sunset. Isabella shifted around so she was sittin’ on my lap with her arms around me and kissed along my neck.

 

“As soon as the house sold,” she began, “I set off to Volterra with Heidi and Jane.” 

 

I felt determination coming off of her so I held her hand, my fingers interlaced with hers. I wasn’t expecting to hear her talk about her change, I knew it was comin’ up, I thought us sittin’ back here and waitin’ for them to arrive was a lot nicer than sitting in a fuckin’ airport terminal.

 

“Victoria was called back to Volterra the day after they all showed up at my door, but Jane and Heidi stayed with me. They helped me get things together and we grew close and I guess I’d have to partially blame them for my sailor mouth.” She laughed. “They told me about their duties and what I’d be doing and what to expect once I got there. We also had fun singing silly songs and things like that, we were like typical teenagers. For the first time ever, I really felt like I had sisters. I know Alicetried to convince me that we were, but this was such a different dynamic.” 

 

I smiled as I once again felt her love for her sisters and thought that if we had a chance, I’d like to meet them and thank them for helping my Isabella out of her bad time. I was also glad that since I told her about the fire, she was able to use the Cullen’s names but I didn’t need my gift to hear the anger dripping off of her voice every time she sneered their name out. 

 

“The plane ride was amazing. They had a helicopter pick us up from Forks and take us to SeaTac. From there, we boarded a private jet and headed out. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous because I was.” She looked at me and smiled. “You know me and meeting new people. Well, I slept on the plane most of the time and they actually had a pizza catered for me so I could eat during my trip. When we got there, we were whisked off in a dark tinted SUV and headed to the walled city. The first thing I had to do was meet the three Kings of the Vampire world. Needless to say, I was nervous as fuck but it was mandatory.” 

 

I never met them personally before but I wasn’t surprised that she was nervous. “Isabella, I’d be nervous too. I’ve never met them but have communicated with Aro and Caius via email.” 

 

She nodded. “Yes, those two were the most talkative. Marcus tends to be the quiet one and I guess given his history I don’t blame him; the story is, he lost his mate. Do you know that Aro has a gift? He can read all your memories and such with a single touch. I was told about this but it didn’t really let this all hit me until after my change. You remember how Edward couldn’t read my mind? Well, Aro couldn’t read _all_ of my memories. He read some of them but other things were fuzzy to him. He said, he saw my memories with the Cullens and maybe I should consider being changed at some point and join the guard. I said, I’d think about it but I was a bit tired from all the traveling, however, it was something to think about.” She looked at me and grinned. “After the change, and my gifts made themselves known, he attributed the fuzziness to my inner shield. I guess that makes sense.”

 

I nodded. “Yeah, that was somethin’ that always bothered him about you but it’s a good thing.” 

 

Isabella snorted and agreed. “Now, if I thought Aro was friendly, Caius was the opposite when I first stepped into the throne room. It wasn’t until Aro talked to me that he started warming up. I found out later on that he liked to intimidate people by appearing to be a hard ass and he was impressed that I didn’t simper in front of him. By the end of my meeting with them, Marcus actually greeted me and said he could see a bond I already had with Heidi and Jane.”

 

“I spent most of the summer as their secretary and during that time, I met a lot of the guards and learned about what they did. I learned how they are supposed to keep humans from knowing the existence of vampires and all that stuff. I wasn’t privy to the Elite Corps yet that came later after my change. They were all pretty friendly, some more than others in talking to me.” She shrugged.

 

I wasn’t sure what she meant by that and I imagined some good-looking male vampire trying to make the moves on my Isabella and I growled out, “Friendly, Isabella?”

 

She looked at me and pressed her hands against my face. “Friendly as in talkative, Jasper. Other than the high school boy, I had a short lived thing a year after my change. It only lasted a couple weeks and it just didn’t feel right. He met his wife soon after. Please don’t get jealous Jasper, nobody has ever made me feel so much love and passion as you. I never had a relationship or wanted one with anybody until you.” Her lips touched mine and I felt all the love and honesty and trust she had for me in that brief kiss.

 

“I’m sorry, I guess I can be a little bit of a possessive asshole,” I shrugged. I never really was before but then again, I never met anybody like my mate before. Once again, I had to remind myself that was back then and things were a lot different now.

 

“Don’t be sorry, you know I am a little possessive too,” she smiled. “So where was I? The more I talked to them, the more I realized I really didn’t believe the whole, ‘vampires are monsters because they drink human blood’ bullshit. I hung out with my sisters and we actually went on shopping trips and I enjoyed it. The difference was they let me pick the stuff I liked and treated me like I was an equal; everybody seemed to for the most part. They didn’t force me to do things because of some stupid vision. Well, the summer went and by September I had made the decision I wanted to be changed. I had just celebrated my 19th birthday when I told Heidi and Jane my decision. They were thrilled and I wanted to let Aro know that I decided to become a member of the guard. He was pleased and asked if there was anything he could do and he also wanted to be damn sure I was serious about it. I assured him that I was serious and would be honored to serve in the guard so long as I could still receive a degree, eventually.”

 

I brushed my lips against her temple. “I am so fuckin’ proud of you, you know that? That isn’t an easy decision to make but I’m glad you talked to many others and I’m sure they didn’t candy-coat things, at least I hope not.” 

 

“No, as a matter of fact, Felix and Jane were probably the two most brutally honest of them all. They didn’t gloss over a damn fucking thing. They told me about being a newborn and the thirst for blood. Since they knew I had known about the Cullens, they actually asked what my diet choice was. Well, I said I wanted to be a vampire but if I freaked out or couldn’t handle it given my queasy about blood thing, then I’d want to try the animal diet. I did try a deer once and it was nasty.” Isabella made a face at me before smiling and playing with the collar of my shirt. 

 

I started feeling some sadness comin’ from her and held her against me tighter. “Darlin’, take your time if you need to. I’m here,” I said as I sent her come comfort and reassurance.

 

“I know. I love you so much. I’m just sad because I decided to have my change done In November on what would have been Charlie’s birthday,” she said with a sad smile. “But it is good, I’m here and I’m with you now,” she reassured me. 

 

“And I love you, Isabella,” I said as I brushed my hands up her arms. 

 

“I asked my sisters if they could change me and after some thought, they agreed. I started recording some memories onto my iPod so I could make sure certain things were no longer forgotten. Did you know in Volterra, they do research on blood?”

 

I shook my head and replied, “What do you mean by research?” 

 

Nervousness started to trickle from her and I ran my hand up and down her back while sending her my love. 

 

“They do research on it I guess to find ways of making sure we don’t ever run out,” she explained. “Well, they are able to procure a great deal of donated blood which is how we get those shipments of blood delivered to us, which reminds me, we might have another box at cargo. It was a study that Aro was spearheading and even though it was fascinating, my sisters and I have joked about it on occasion; calling it GMB for genetically modified blood. Through these studies, they have also found ways of preserving the flavor for the most part but I think bagged blood tastes a little musty. Anyway, the reason why I brought it up was, my change was done in a more clinical manner.” She paused as I felt her nervousness grow.

 

I pulled her tighter against me and sent her comfort along with more love.

 

She turned and smiled before continuin'. “I sort of volunteered to be a test bunny of sorts and go through the change with the help of technology. They nearly drained me of blood, using a machine, leaving just enough for Heidi and Jane to get a little taste in order to produce venom to push through me.” 

 

Wow, I had no idea. No wonder she was so hesitant in telling her story. I leaned my head against hers, “Babe, weren’t you always queasy about blood? How did you keep from passin’ out, babe? I didn’t realize somethin’ like that was even an option.” 

 

“Well, I never said I didn’t pass out, I fainted as soon as the blood was coming through the tube,” she said with a sheepish grin on her face and got up off of my lap. “Let’s go see if there is a shipment from Volterra. Besides your plane should be arriving soon.” 

 

We left the truck and walked towards the cargo terminal. 

 

“Yeah, I passed out and was bitten,” she said quietly as we made our way across the parking lot. “I had told Heidi before, that I wanted James’ mark to be bitten over and she agreed.” She pulled up her sleeve and I looked at it closely. It was done so well you wouldn’t be able to tell where James’ mark was and where Heidi’s was and I was glad she was able to get his mark off her. 

 

“Regardless of how I was drained of the blood, I still burned for 3 agonizing days,” she said and shuddered. “We did find out that my scent was altered from the really sweet flowery scent to what it is today and they think it was because I had Jane and Heidi both change me and they didn’t take a whole lot of blood from me.” 

 

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to me. “Isabella, I for one am glad you went through the change, however it was done,” I replied. "Your scent now is allurin' even more so than when you were human. You intoxicate me, woman."

 

It was strange because as much as it was such a cold way to be turned, a part of me was glad she didn’t have someone drinkin’ her blood and holdin’ her intimately in their arms. I knew that was fucked up to think that way and it wasn’t like I had the opportunity to change her back then. I shook those thoughts out of my head as we crossed the parking lot and into the cargo terminal. 

 

Sure enough another package had arrived from Volterra and she was fillin’ out the paperwork for it. The airline employees brought the box out and we had to pretend to struggle with the it while they watched us. Once we were outside, we walked quickly back to the truck and I opened the back of the truck cab to stick the box into the back seat. 

 

I felt Isabella push me into the back seat and I felt her some mischief mixed with lust comin’ from her. I didn’t think we had too much time before Peter and Char showed up but we probably had just enough to have a little fun and I could make out with my woman. I helped her climb in and she immediately straddled my thighs and licked a trail from my collar bone up to my neck. She grabbed a handful of my hair and crashed her lips to mine. Fuck, I could get drunk off of just touching and kissing her. I had one hand grippin' onto her hips and ass while the other reached under her long sleeve tee feeling the bare flesh on her back before movin’ my hand to run it across her ribs. My eyes rolled back as she licked the shell of my ear. I felt her lacy bra and caressed her through the lace and felt her nipple harden from my touch. 

 

Dammit, we needed to stop this before we got interrupted by my brother and sister. “Isabella, fuck, I don’t want to stop but unless we want to give my brother and sister a show, we’re gonna have to. I promise I will make it up to you,” I said as I pulled her close to me, tryin’ to catch my breath.

 

“I don’t want to stop either,” she said breathlessly, “but I don’t want to give your brother and sister a peep show.” She kissed me on my nose before untanglin’ herself from me. “Damn straight, we will continue this later.”

 

“Aw, don’t stop on my account. Besides Cookie, you have to hang on for 8 seconds!” he shouted from across the parkin’ lot. 

 

Isabella looked at me and rolled her eyes as she opened the truck door. She wasn’t upset, so I stopped thinkin’ of the many ways I could beat his ass up. I had noticed that I could only feel trickles of Peter and Char’s emotions so I figured she had us fully under her shield. We got out of the truck just as my brother and his wife approached us. Bella was nervous and was holdin’ onto my hand tightly and I sent her calm. I sent a quick shot of caution to Peter so he’d know not to move. It was a signal we used back in the day and I was just hopin’ that he didn’t try anything stupid. We walked towards the back of the truck and as Peter and Char waited for us before stoppin’ about an arm’s length from them. 

 

“Isabella, this is my brother and my sister, Peter and Char Whitlock,” I said. “Peter, Char, this is Isabella Swan Charles.”

 

“Cookie! I thought you’d be hot but I didn’t know you were _that_ hot!,” Peter drawled. “Hell, I should have you ride back with me instead.” Fucker waggled his eyebrows at my Isabella. 

 

Before I could say anything, Char’s hand reached up and smacked his head so hard he could have gotten whiplash. Isabella stared at them before lookin’ at me and winked, mischievousness pouring off of her in waves as she squeezed my hand.

 

She threw her outer shield at Peter so he was pinned to the ground and I sent him a wicked cocktail that consisted of fear, aches, pain, and the feeling of bein’ over emotional. It was what Isabella liked to call my PMS cocktail that I had been practicin’ while we went out to the bars for dinner. Char was watching this unfold all while doubled over laughing. After all these years of livin’ with Peter, she pretty much expected him to run his mouth before his brain engaged. 

 

Peter was stuck on the asphalt and was blubberin’ like a girl. Isabella laughed and grabbed her phone to take a picture before squeezing my hand again and we both stopped. I stepped forward and helped him up before puttin’ him into a headlock. 

 

“Fucker, you say that shit one more time to her and I’ll make sure when I rip your arm off to toss it down a mountain,” I said menacingly before I let him go with a slap on his back. “Good to see ya, bro.” I reached over to Char and squeezed her hand. “Char, good to see you.” 

 

Isabella went up to Char and pulled her into a hug which surprised my sister. “Char, it is so nice to meet the better half of the relationship,” she giggled.

 

“Better half? Aww, Cookie, you just crushed me,” Peter said while he quivered his lip in a crazy exaggerated pout. 

 

I chuckled and shook my head as I saw Isabella narrowing her eyes at him. 

 

“Peter? What is your deal? Were you dropped as a child too much? Do you drink humans who have eaten lead chips?” Isabella asked soundin’ annoyed but she was only playing with him. 

 

Peter looked at Isabella and I could see he was tempted to say somethin’ so I sent him another warnin’ shot and raised my eyebrow at him when he looked at me. 

 

“Cookie, I was just playin’, I didn’t mean it to be bad. After seein’ the Major with the ‘curveless wonder bitch’, you’re a sight for sore eyes.” 

 

Isabella rolled her eyes at the apology before laughing. “Curveless wonder bitch? That is hilarious!” she said and turned to look at me. “Sorry, handsome.” 

 

I pulled her into my arms and grinned. “Babe, don’t be sorry.” I ran my hands down her sides, her waist and down to her hips. “I love the decision I made,” I whispered in her ear and gave her hips a squeeze. 

 

“Alright you lovebirds,” Peter said, “so I’m takin’ the truck since you guys were makin’ out back there?” 

 

“Nope,” Isabella said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out the keys. “You get the Shelby.” She tossed them towards Peter and looked up at me. Her smile radiated pure joy and love. “It is to thank you for saving my Jasper.” 

 

Char pulled Isabella into a hug. Isabella had dropped her shield to hover and I could now feel everybody around me. Isabella and Char hugged and laughed and it was nice to see after all the years of havin’ made to feel ashamed of my past. Just hearing ‘my Jasper’ from her, my heart and love for this woman grew even more. Peter was just as moved as he saw them together. For so many years it had just been the two of them together, I had the Cullens but they only had each other. 

 

“Hug?” Peter asked. 

 

Leave it to my brother to break the ice. Isabella broke her hug from Char and smiled at Peter. He saw that opportunity and picked her up into a bear hug. 

 

“Cookie, thank you so much for makin’ my kitten a happy woman. We are happy to meet you and want to thank you for makin’ the Major a happy man,” Peter said in a harsh whisper, he was visibly moved by Isabella. 

 

“Excuse me, bro. I believe it is my turn to hold my woman,” I patted his back and looked at Isabella. There was so much love shinin’ in her eyes. I could feel the beginnings of that familial love coming from her to my siblings that was similar to what she shared with her sisters. Then it was the strong love that she had for me, I felt it comin’ off of her in waves. Peter set her down and she jumped into my arms automatically. Her arms and legs wrapped around me as we held each other tight. It didn’t matter that my sister was watching with tears glistenin’ in her eyes and my brother had that goofy ass grin on his face. As far as we were concerned, it was just the two of us and nobody else. 

 

Isabella kissed me and turned back to Peter and Char. “Do you need to feed? We went last night but we can tell you where to go.” 

 

I could feel some the beginning of the burn comin’ off of them and quickly gave them directions to the bar district. 

 

“Do you want us to come with you?” I asked them as they were walkin’ past me. 

 

“Nah, we can meet up after? Are we stayin’ in your house, cave man?” Peter chuckled.

 

I shot him some of that PMS cocktail and watched as his legs bucked a little as he put their bags into the trunk. “No you fucker, Isabella’s got a penthouse apartment in the city that y’all could stay and have some privacy. But we can meet back there and catch up.” 

 

“I set it on the GPS for you and the key to the elevator is on the chain,” Isabella said. 

 

Just as Peter helped Char into the car he turned back to look at us as I walked us to the truck.

“Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do,” Peter said, climbing into the front seat. 

 

Isabella looked at him over my shoulder and rolled her eyes. 

 

When we got to the apartment, I watched as Isabella grabbed a couple bags and bottles from the shipping box before heading up. 

 

We mixed a pitcher of the stuff and I followed her into the Ninja Room while we checked on reports.

 

“Is it alright if we left this equipment here with Peter and Char?” 

 

“It’ll be fine, darlin’. Peter’s helped me a couple times so we are good,” I replied and started looking through my emails. 

 

“Jasper, did you send him that PMS cocktail? And more importantly, how much power did you use to push that on him?” Isabella looked at me and took a sip of her drink.

 

I laughed, “Remember that group that started cryin’ and that night durin’ the soccer game?” Isabella nodded and giggled. “Well, it was about that much, maybe a notch down. Both your shields were powerful, darlin’; I only felt a trickle come through from the inner shield and I was impressed how you had him pinned so fast.” I gulped down my drink and winked at her. I was getting used to drinkin’ this stuff, it wasn’t bad and that alcohol just helped make it taste a little fresher. It felt strangely human which was funny given it was human blood we were drinkin’. 

 

Isabella laughed, “I took a picture of him on the ground, look.” She showed me her phone and I sent it to mine. That picture was fuckin’ hilarious. “So, you were able to feel just a little bit of their feelings through my shield?” 

 

I nodded.

 

“I had my inner shield up all the way and the outer was full but I didn’t throw it out at full strength. It would have left a large whole on the parking lot which would have looked suspicious.” She grinned and pulled up a report on the monitor. “And you Jasper, are one powerful badass vampire. My badass vampire.” 

 

I grinned at her. “Hey, you know how you wanted to see the mansion and all? With Peter and Char here, want to take a couple days to go to Washington?” I asked and moved closer to her.

 

“So long it's a quick trip, sure,” she said quietly. “The memories still hurt.” 

 

I knew she was talkin' about her father so I topped of our glasses and sent her my love. “Short trip, we can stay in Seattle,” I said and she nodded and agreed.

 

 

“I love you too, so fucking much,” Isabella said and downed her glass before exclaiming, “Oh look we might have something. No mule has gone on their second run yet but Serena’s got the chemical breakdown on the drugs.” 

 

We scanned the report but there wasn’t anything that made the drugs look different or stand out from the rest of the stuff. 

 

“Dammit, it doesn’t look like there was anything after all,” she muttered. “Um, Jasper? Can I ask you something about the pixie?” she looked up at me and I could see some worry comin’ off of her beautiful eyes. 

 

“You can ask me anything, you know that.” I wrapped arm around her shoulder and pulled her onto my lap. “What’s on your mind?”

 

“Well, I was thinking and was wondering... well that is...” she stumbled over her words and took a breath before trying again. “Was she ever Alice _Whitlock_?” 

 

I felt some jealousy comin’ off of her so I lifted her chin up to me and kissed her lips. “Never, it was always a Cullen or a Hale. She even tried to make me a Brandon once. Whitlock was never used or acknowledged other than as a middle name for me.” I felt her calm down and then some hope flowed through her. Did she really want to? I mean, I wanted to wear her mark and have her wear mine, but I didn’t know she might want to one day get married as well. It gave me something to think about. 

 

Isabella went about in shutting the computers down when the front door opened and in walked a bright eyed Peter and Char. 

 

“Whatcha got there, Cookie?” Peter asked as he came into the Ninja Room. Before Isabella could answer, he grabbed the glass and sniffed it. “Booze? Ya know we can't drink. Major, what’s gotten into you?”

 

I shrugged just as I felt humor comin’ off of Isabella though she was keeping a pretty straight face. I figured she wanted to get him to drink I just sat back to watch this unfold. 

 

“He doesn’t tell me what to do, Peter,” Isabella said and more humor came off of her. “Are you scared to try it Peter? It’s not like it’s animal blood or anything.” She goaded him until he finally took a glass and downed it.   


I immediately sent a steady stream of the drunken feelings to him and watched as his eyes grew wide with shock. 

 

“What’s goin’ on?” Peter asked with a slight slur. Char was leaning against the wall watchin’ this unfold as she tried to keep from laughing. He tried to sit down on the roller chair and fell on his ass and all of us laughed so hard that I had to stop manipulatin’ him. 

 

“Come on,” I grabbed the pitcher and the glasses and walked out the room with Isabella. “We can sit here and catch up.” 

 

We talked through the night and into the early hours of morning. We shared laughter and stories over our drinks and this time, I decided to play nice and not make my brother feel like he was completely wasted. We were just about to leave so we could greet the sun when it happened. 

 

I was holdin’ my hand out for Isabella when Peter stopped talking about how he wanted to go bull fightin’ in Spain. He stopped right in the middle of the story and I turned to look at him. Isabella held onto my hands tightly when she saw it happen, I thought for sure she was goin' to rip some of my fingers off.

 

“Shit Jasper, I’m sorry,” she looked at me and apologized. 

 

I mouthed out the word ‘no’ and kissed before looking back at Peter and Char. 

 

“You alright, bro?” I asked, he seemed more shaken than before but I wasn’t sure if it was because of the drinks as well. 

 

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Peter muttered before lookin’ at the both of us. “When you're in Washington, you’ll find what you’ve been waitin’ for.” 

 

Isabella just stared at him like he just grew another head. “Whoa, that was weird, that’s for sure,” she muttered and stared at Peter before realizing what she was doing. “Shit, Polaroid. I shouldn’t be staring like that, I’m sorry.” 

 

Peter looked at her and narrowed his eyes, “Polaroid?” 

 

Isabella grinned, “Yep, you call me Cookie, I get to call you Polaroid. It fits.” She gave Char a kiss on the cheek and punched my brother on the arm before grabbin’ my hand once again. 

 

As we were walkin’ out the door, Isabella called out, “Char? You and Polaroid come on up to the mountain later this morning. See you later?” 

 

They nodded just as we stepped into the elevator. 

 

As we got off the elevator, she looked at me and smiled. “I’m really glad you invited them out here, Jasper. Your brother is a little strange but I like them both already.”

 

I picked her up and walked us to the truck. “Darlin’, thank you so much for comin’ into my life. I fuckin’ love you, Isabella.” I was a little choked up by the day’s emotions as I started the engine and drove off. 

 

With my love for the woman sitting next to me, combined with her feelings for me, love surrounded and wove through us. It was, what Isabella said a few days ago, like our air. A lesser man probably would have buckled under by the enormity of just her emotions alone. Nobody in my long life had ever fuckin’ loved me that strongly. I knew without a doubt that we were each other’s. Isabella accepted me and my family, somethin’ that I never felt before. It definitely had me thinkin’ about the future and the possibility she wanted to be married to me one day. 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I hope you liked Peter and Char, as I said before, the inspiration for Peter came from idreamofeddy. Seriously, when I first started reading Jasper and Bella fanfic stories, I really thought Peter's gift was canon. I took the twist by giving him the snapshots as I was writing this. My computer faces some framed pictures I've taken so that is where I got the idea of him calling his images, snapshots. The way his eyes flashed blue and all, well, that lead to Bella calling him Polaroid.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you Ms Mynxi for being an awesome beta and my wifey DarkNNerdy for helping me with some super awesome pre-reading, some beta skills and helping me with dialogue. My wonderful prereaders JaspersBella and SparklingFae thanks for your help too. ~ YOU LADIES ROCK! ~

**Chapter 11**

**_SONGS:_ **

**_Assassin - Muse_ **

**_Bat Country - Avenged Sevenfold_ **

**BPOV**

 

After our morning sunrise ritual, we spent a few hours enjoying ourselves in the grotto continuing from where we left off in the truck, just as Jasper promised. If we didn’t have company coming, we would have stayed longer in the room I now referred to simply as ‘paradise’.  Just as we had gotten home from visiting Peter and Char, they called Jasper to let us know they’d be over around 10.

 

We got dressed and headed to the main room as we waited for them to show up. We were going to practice sparring with them and I was looking forward to see how our gifts worked together. We had an idea about how they worked from being around humans but knowing that vampire senses were just that much more intense, we were looking forward to the opportunity.

 

Jasper and I were on the couch playing with our phones. I decided since Jasper programmed their numbers plus his onto my phone, that I’d go ahead and assign them ringtones. Since we were sparring today, we decided to keep close but not touch to see how it affected us before Peter and Char showed up. Would our desire and need to be close be a detriment?

 

Even though I was nervous as hell meeting them last night, I found myself enjoying their company. I was looking forward to spending more time getting to know them. I mean, they were Jasper’s true family and have obviously been through thick and thin with him.

 

Peter was an interesting character. He was funny and a little strange but I could tell he was madly in love with Char. And that Polaroid thing he did was bizarre to see. I hope he wasn’t too offended that I stared at him like a damn freak.

 

I smiled as I found the perfect song for his ringtone. I wasn’t going to use a cutesy song for him and I think given his personality, he’d appreciate that I was using ‘ _Hillbilly Bone_ ’ for his.

 

Char, well I liked her almost immediately but I was hoping to get to know her a little bit more. I was looking forward to asking her about being mates from a female perspective since I wasn’t close to the mated guards at Volterra, especially since they didn’t have to live in the castle. I wasn’t sure of a perfect song for her yet, I had a couple in mind, but decided to hold off until later today to see which song best suited her.

 

I looked over at Jasper and saw his smile as he must have felt my fondness for his brother and sister. He looked over and I felt his love wash over me. As tempted as I was to get close to him and touch him, we knew we needed to test this out, especially if we were heading out of town soon. I thought about all my feelings for the man in front of me and knew he received them when his eyes softened and his grin became bigger.

 

I winked as I found his number and quickly searched for the song I had in mind. I had laughed at him when he programmed his number to my phone. We haven’t needed to exchange numbers or anything since the night we met because we haven’t been apart.  We were going to a big city soon so it was necessary, just like us trying to keep from touching each other. This was definitely better than taking the two cars last night. Luckily we stayed pretty close to each other while we headed to the airport and I didn’t get a ticket for riding his bumper.

 

“What’s so funny, darlin’? Care to share?” Jasper teased.

 

“I was just thinking how sad, in a funny sort of way, it would have been if I had gotten a ticket for tailgating you yesterday,” I replied. “That and how I thought it was silly at first that you programmed our numbers into our phones.”

 

“Babe, your car handlin’ skills would have made a NASCAR driver proud,” he winked. “Are you assignin’ ringtones?”

 

I nodded and showed him my choice for Peter and the possible choices for Char. He didn’t give me one opinion on way or another, which was nice, I think he caught on that I wanted to get to know her on my own. “I even found your song, Jasper.”

 

“Oh?” he replied still fiddling with his phone. My phone started vibrating and playing Jasper’s song.

 

_I might have a reckless streak at least a country mile wide_

_If you’re gonna run with me, it’s gonna be a wild ride_

_When it comes to lovin’ you, I’ve got velvet hands_

_I’ll show you how a real bad boy can be a real good man_

 

I laughed as he looked at me and grinned. I crawled across the couch at human speed and my lips met his.

 

“Mmm, darlin’ I like the song, thank you,” he whispered. “And I especially like seein’ you on your hands and knees like that.” He waggled his eyebrows. I laughed and play elbowed him before I jumped back to my spot on the couch.

 

“What song do you have for me?” I asked but before he even answered, I called his number.

 

_Cuz she loves me every single day and night_

_And she says we are everything that's good in her life_

_She says she loves me more than anything on earth_

_And that's almost as much as I love her_

 

I felt the tears welling up in my eyes as I heard some of the most beautiful lyrics ever. Jasper had me in his arms before the song stopped playing. He held me tightly against him.

 

“I love you so fuckin’ much.”

 

I leaned my head back so I could look at his face. “I fucking love you too, Jasper.”

 

I immediately thought back to last night and how jealous I got when I asked him if Alice was ever called Alice Whitlock. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t relieved that she never was. I was never one who thought about marriage; given how my folks were and some of my faint human memories of school friends with single parents. With Jasper, it was different and I wondered if he would even consider marriage one day.

 

We heard the sound of the Mustang as it kicked up gravel and rocks along the path. When it reached the garage, were already there waiting for them.

 

I greeted Peter and Char with quick hugs before we all headed back up the elevator. They said how the last time they were out here, the elevator didn’t exist. Peter even said the house was nothing more than yurt.

 

“It wasn’t a yurt, fucker. It was more like a shed but I fixed it up and Isabella has helped make it just that much better,” Jasper said and instantly, I felt his adoration as he squeezed my hand.

 

We led them through the courtyard and Char was very impressed by the lushness of the plants and the water feature. She even asked for the name of the company that made the chaise so she could order one for their house back in Texas.

 

We gave them a quick tour around before heading outside. Jasper directed us to pair off and spar without our gifts for now. I was looking forward to it as I quickly pulled my hair into a single, long braid and faced Char. It had been a while since I had the opportunity to wrestle around with an opponent. I knew that Char would be a formidable sparring partner given her past.

 

I was right, where I had the upper hand in speed, she was just a little stronger than I was. We circled each other most of the time trying to find the opening for an attack. Had I not been distracted by Jasper fighting, I would have been poised for the kill a couple more times. In all, we probably could have decapitated each other a few times between us before we decided to sit and watch the guys.

 

It occurred to me that while I was distracted with sparring, I didn’t get a strong achy feeling in my chest. We sat down and watched as our men sparred with each other and I couldn’t help but grin as I saw how fucking sexy Jasper was. I was so right about him being panther like. I watched as he stalked around Peter, semi-crouched and his muscles tense under that tight black t-shirt of his. I guess I must have been sending some lust because he stopped what they were doing and pointed at us before heading in our direction.

 

I didn’t really care if we had company. I got up and ran full bore at Jasper before leaping into his waiting arms. We held onto each other until we heard the sound of Peter clearing his voice.

 

“Get a room, lovebirds!” Peter chuckled and without missing a step, we both flipped him off before we untangled from each other.

 

We all regrouped and sat on the ground. I noticed that Peter and Char were snuggling close to each other, so I decided not to say anything but pointed it out to Jasper. He winked at me and stared at the couple.

 

“Get a room, lovebirds!” Jasper used Peter’s words against him and I swear, if I didn’t see his lips move, I would have sworn it was Peter’s voice.

 

Peter and Char looked over and laughed before getting up. Jasper and I were going to be working together with our gifts and it was up to Char and Peter to try to stop us. We ran out towards the far end of the mountaintop and waited for their attack. My inner shield was hovering over us and I was ready to pull it up if needed.

 

We let go of each other’s hands and watched as Char and Peter started to circle the two of us. I thought back to when I was training to be a guard, we had discovered that my shield could be pushed from all around me when I had 7 guards running towards me from different directions. I was able to knock them all down forcefully with little effort. I remembered that because I was so new at this, I pictured a giant donut that surrounded me and it would explode outwards. I knew what my outer shield was capable of but what I was curious about was how it would work if I had Jasper ensconced in my inner shield. Would my outer expand to accommodate him? If my outer shield was still a donut shape, would that leave an opening between the two of us and leave us vulnerable? Well, I knew we wouldn’t be completely vulnerable; Jasper’s gift was much too powerful for that.

 

I was brought out of my thoughts as I watched Peter and Char circling us. We were holding off on our attack until they made the first move. I had slowly released my outer shield so it was closely hugging around the two of us. As soon as they would attack, I would push it out with force. It wasn’t as strong as when I threw it out immediately but it was still effective and wouldn’t cause too much damage.

 

From the corner of my eye, I saw Char rushing towards us, I slowly pushed my shield out towards her direction as I looked at Peter. He was crouched and ready so I concentrated on Char knowing Jasper could feel what was going on with the two. I concentrated on sending him reassurance so he’d know I was in control of things and let him do his magic. As soon as Char got close enough to think she had the advantage, I pushed my outer shield out hard, knocking her off her feet and she fell hard onto the ground. Peter crashed down too; he had started his attack as soon as she started running. Jasper unleashed something while Peter was down that had him writhing in pain while I attacked the stunned Char and had we not been sparring but in a real battle, she would have been beheaded.

 

I helped Char off her feet and she sat over on the clearing watching the three of us. I pushed my outer shield onto Peter pinning him down and immobilizing him while Jasper pulled Peter’s head back and snapped his teeth near Peter’s neck as I walked over to the two men.  When I got near, I placed my hand on the small of Jasper’s back while I held my other hand out to Peter who was looking a little miffed that he lost the game.

 

“Major, you and Cookie here, are a fuckin’ deadly duo,” Peter groused as he took my hand and his brother’s and stood up. “Okay Major, for old times sake?”

 

There was a glint in Peter’s eye and I looked up at Jasper who winked at me. He squeezed my hand and pulled me into his arms.

 

“Sure bro, give me a minute,” Jasper replied and walked with me towards Char.

 

“You did good out there, darlin’, I’m gonna spar with Peter some more.” He kissed me and whispered in my ear really low, “Hang out with Char but keep your eye out on him if you want.” He winked at me before smacking my ass leaving me to hang out with his sister.

 

I knew that he wanted me to get to know his sister but there was also another reason he sent me away from the sparring area. If we were ever in danger and couldn’t be near each other, I needed to see if my shields would still protect him. It was important to both of us to see if we could still protect each other if we were distracted or far apart from each other. It wasn’t often that we had the opportunity to test our skills and the last thing we wanted was a surprise if we ever found ourselves in a battle situation.

 

I sat down with Char as Peter and Jasper were talking and laughing. I smiled as I saw how happy he was. He was certainly more at ease and more seemed confident with Peter and Char around than I ever saw him in the short time I that knew the Cullens.

 

“You really love him, don’t you?” Char asked. “I have never seen anybody look at him with so much love as you. Nobody. And the way he looks at you- He’s never been happier, sugar.”

 

I grinned. “I love him with all my heart and it isn’t just because we’re mates. We just... it just feels so right between us. He was never this happy when he was with Alice?”

 

“Nope. Cookie, we’ve only met her once and that was about a year after they met. She said she loved him but she clung onto him like he was gonna run off somewhere. I thought it was because she was shy but over the years, what we learned and what Peter has seen with his snapshots, leads me to believe she clung onto him like that so he wouldn’t run off,” she said with some venom in her words.

 

“And the way he looked at her was not like the way he looks at you now. Even while you two were fightin’ I saw it. He is a good man and I’m fuckin’ happy to see my brother has found someone who truly loves him and accepts him for who he is.”

 

I reached over and hugged her. “Thank you Char, that means so much to me to hear you say that. I mean, I know what I feel for him and how he feels for me but to hear his family say it, means a lot. Did you get along with her at least?”

 

“She never accepted Peter and me as being his related to him. He is, you know, he’s Peter’s sire and Peter’s mine. I think that bothered him more than anything. We managed to visit Jasper just a couple more times after that and only when she was out of town,” Char spat out. “We’d write or call but even those were few and far between because of the fear we’d be bad influences on him.”

 

“Well, I appreciate all you’ve done for Jasper, I truly do,” I replied.  “If it hadn’t been for you and Peter, he might not have survived being in that hell hole much longer from what he told me. And as far as visiting each other, I think we will see each other more than just a few times.” I smiled and gave her a quick hug.

 

I looked over at the men and saw they were circling each other, sizing each other up. I concentrated and was able to move my inner shield over Jasper in hover mode. I still had my shield hovering around me as well but I was able to extend it out to where he was. It felt weird having my inner shield stretched out like that and I hope it wasn’t something that would snap back like a rubber band as I continued talking to his sister.

 

“We’re your family too, sugar. You’re just as much my sister now,” she said matter-of-factly.

 

I couldn’t really argue with her given her tone so I looked over at the guys again and released my outer shield when I saw that Peter had Jasper on the ground. I was ready to throw it out as I jumped up and growled until I felt Char’s hand on my arm.

 

“They’ll be fine. Jasper is one helluva fighter, even without his gift. With it, he’s deadly. With you, you’re both unstoppable,” she said as she pulled me back down. “How are you doin’ with this whole bein’ mates thing?”

 

“I am fine, so long as we’re close,” I said with a small smile. “When we met up with you last night, it was the first time we took separate cars and I couldn’t wait to be back in his arms. Then this morning we were together but stayed physically apart and I had to fight the urge to touch him,” I explained and looked out at the guys. Jasper had Peter pinned to the ground now and was laughing as Peter struggled to move and I brought my outer shield back in; feeling relieved he was safe.

 

I looked back at Char and smiled, “When we were sparring, I guess I was distracted enough that our separation didn’t bother us. The only other time we are able to not get distracted by our loss of contact is when we’re getting our meals. I think we are close to claiming each other, it is just that it hasn’t felt completely right to just give into our instincts yet, you know?”

 

She pulled me into a hug and kissed my cheek. It was nice to have a new sister but I was also a little sad because I missed Janey and Heidi and their crazy antics.

 

“I understand. There is nuthin’ wrong with that at all. But like Peter explained, right now you’re fine but you can sort of understand that if you go unclaimed for a long time, it can start to affect you. You’re doin’ great though.”

 

I nodded and looked at her. “Char, are you sure our need to be close will dissipate a little after we have claimed each other?” I asked and hoped that her answer was what I was looking for.

 

“Yes, you won’t feel it as strong and painful as you do now. With me and Peter, even though we’ve been together a long time, I still don’t like bein’ away from him for more than a day’s worth of errands and such. And even then, I couldn’t be too far away, the nearest big town I go to is probably a good six hours away by car,” she explained and smiled. “We never really felt the need to be away for farther or longer than that.”

 

I nodded again as I thought about her words and stared over to where Jasper and Peter were. Jasper’s neck was exposed and I saw Peter go for the kill. I jumped up in a panic and immediately threw out my outer shield with so much force that Peter was thrown 23.8 feet away from Jasper. As soon as I threw my shield, I sped towards Jasper faster than ever before. All thoughts that we had just been sparring left my mind as the image of Jasper’s neck being exposed and vulnerable to being ripped apart seared into my brain forever.

 

Jasper felt the panic, fear and worry and as I reached him. He grabbed me and tackled me onto the ground as he held me tight. He kept promising me everything was alright, the feeling was so fucking intense that I started to sob as soon as I realized that he was okay. It took a few minutes to finally calm down as he sent me strong doses reassurance and comfort. When my thoughts finally caught up to me, I realized I had thrown Peter out towards the mountain edge. I looked around and saw that Char was pulling him back up from the ravine. I had my inner shield around us completely and my outer shield acted as a barrier from anybody who tried to come close. Even though I didn’t need to, I was catching my breath while still clinging onto Jasper.

 

“I saw you... your neck... didn’t think...” I was still shaken up and could barely put together a couple words let alone a coherent sentence.

 

He sat up and pulled me onto his lap. “Shh... I am fine,” he whispered. “He wouldn’t have gotten me, I was sendin’ him overconfidence to see what he would do. I didn’t mean to scare you, darlin’. We do this shit all the time when we get together.”  He looked at me with concern in his eyes as he reached behind and undid my braid. “Now, about your shield, that was fuckin’ impressive. You were probably a good twenty yards away when you shot that thing out and still managed to send him flyin’ over the edge.”

 

“Fuck! Oh god, I... shit, they’re gonna hate me Jasper,” I buried my head into Jasper’s neck and breathed in as I tried to calm myself. I could feel Jasper’s calm wash over me and heard the footsteps approaching behind me. I knew it was Peter and Char but I still fought with my instincts to throw my outer shield again. Instead, I concentrated on relaxing until I could drop it slowly and turned around to look at them.

 

“I’m sorry for that,” I whispered quietly.

 

“Cookie, I always wondered how it felt like to be a football. Now I know,” Peter said and I smiled. I had a feeling he was trying to make me feel better. I looked over at Char and she winked at me.

 

“C’mon Major, let’s show these ladies a good time. You still got yer guitars?” Peter asked Jasper, and I watched as Jasper nodded. He got up and set me back on my feet.

 

“Babe, I’ll be back, bring some blankets out to the courtyard and we’ll meet y’all there,” he said and ran off towards the house with Peter.

 

Char and I looked at each other for a brief second before she pulled me into a hug. “You were fine, nobody was hurt. Come on, I think they might have something planned for us. Let’s go get some blankets, if you haven’t seen Jasper play, you’re in for a treat.”

 

I was looking forward to this especially after the sparring we had done. I needed to unwind. I grabbed some blankets and headed out to the courtyard. Instead of sitting on the chaise, we used it as a back rest as we spread the blankets onto the ground and sat.

 

The guys came out a few minutes later with a couple guitars and amplifiers. I watched as they set it up and then Jasper started to play the opening riff to ‘ _Pride and Joy’_. I looked up and grinned and then turned to look at Char who was smiling just as brightly as Peter sang the song. When they were done, Peter took over on guitar and it was Jasper’s turn to sing and I watched as he stared at me and started to sing ‘ _Your Touch’_.

 

The sun was setting and our mini concert continued as the guys took turns singing. We listened to their renditions of ‘ _Free Bird’_ and _’Born to Run’_ that even included Peter playing air sax much to Char’s delight. Char and I were screaming like fan girls as they sang ‘ _Crazy Town_ ’ and Char pretended to swoon into my arms when Peter sang ‘ _She’s Country’_. Then it was my turn to get googly-eyed when Jasper sang ‘ _Southern Voice’_.

 

We had a fun evening and seeing them hamming it up for us was a blast. I kept snapping pictures with my phone and showed them to Char. I quickly set her ringtone to ‘ _Gunpowder and Lead’_ before I went into the house and fixed up a pitcher of our favorite drink. I didn’t expect Jasper to follow behind me until I felt his arms around me has he pulled me against him.

 

“Havin’ fun, darlin?” he asked as he nipped my earlobe.

 

“Mmm... I am.” I smiled as I warmed the blood. “Thank you Jasper, that was a lot of fun. You guys are really talented.”

 

“Thanks darlin’. It was nice to sing for someone for a change.”

 

I stopped pouring the mixture into the pitcher and turned to look at him. I reached up and kissed his lips. “Well, Mr. Whitlock, you can sing to me anytime you want.”

 

He pulled me closer and kissed me hard. “Now that I know you liked it, I will.” He reached over and grabbed the glasses from the cabinet.

 

I finished pouring out our drinks and we headed back outside setting the drinks down. Last night, Peter and Char were hesitant in trying it especially after I had Jasper send him some drunk feelings, but they decided it was a treat and they enjoyed the drink just as much as we did.

 

It was nice with the four of us sitting around, enjoying each other’s company especially after a terrifying but productive day. I liked that we were able to practice our gifts against vampires and we were able to communicate during sparring without words. My freak-out aside, I thought we did pretty well.

 

The four of us sat there and shared stories. I told them how as a newborn I had lost a bet to Jane and had to try deer for the first time and that resulted in her being pinned against the cobblestone streets at Volterra after I had gotten back.

 

I howled with laughter as Peter and Char talked about how Peter loved road trips and thought humans were funny with their roadside attractions. He explained they once stopped at Amana, Iowa and he managed to crush the world’s largest rocking chair into dust. The next morning’s paper cited that it was probably an influx of super termites that destroyed the town’s beloved attraction.

 

I was on Jasper’s lap and I could tell he was enjoying that we were all getting along. I was having fun myself; it felt so different being here with Peter and Char than that _other_ family who were always so prim and proper. It always bothered me that their idea of being human and keeping up appearances was to have designer this and that and they acted like they were on their way to meeting a queen or something. While that might have worked back in their day or in society, it really made them stand out in the middle of Forks, fucking Washington.

 

Ugh, going back to Washington. I was looking forward to it, but wasn’t at the same time. With the whole Phoenix thing still perplexing the hell out of us, I really didn’t want to leave. Something could happen. But Jasper had told me that Peter and Char would be able to monitor the situation and while Peter wasn’t a freelancing consultant like Jasper, the Volturi still trusted him because of Jasper’s reputation.

 

_Speaking of which._

 

“Jasper? How did you go from being the Cullen’s emo child, to being a part of the Volturi?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t putting him on the spot in front of his brother and sister. I looked at him and mouthed out ‘sorry’ for having blurted it out like that.

 

Jasper chuckled as he shook his head and looked at Peter and Char, I looked up at them and noticed they were sort of listening but were more interested in spending time with each other more than anything.

 

“Well, after I set the fire, I left the house and took one of the cars towards Port Angeles. From there, I made sure all my Hale and Cullen accounts were closed and money was transferred to my Whitlock accounts,” Jasper mused. “I abandoned the Aston Martin in a bad end of town, left it with a full tank of gas and the keys in the ignition and walked to a nearest Chevy dealership. I bought a brand new pick-up truck and headed south to see my brother and sister.”

 

“Yeah, fucker showed up with his truck, his boots and his damn Stetson and crashed with us for a few months,” Peter jumped in. He kissed Char on the head. “I wasn’t mad, I had seen a snapshot of it, but still, you broke into our fuckin’ house!”

 

“You weren’t home. Hey, I bought you a new door later that day,” Jasper replied.

 

The bantering continued back and forth for a while and Char even looked at me and rolled her eyes before winking at me. I had no doubt she has had to relive the story over and over.

 

“It was about a month after I had gotten there and I had just drank from a human and decided that with my military expertise, I could offer the Volturi help with somethin’.  I wasn’t interested in becomin’ a guard or anything, I considered myself retired,” he said and gave Peter a pointed glare. “But, I still had skills they might find useful so I offered to be their eyes and ears. Plus the money wasn’t bad and I liked the perks.” He winked at me as he said the last part.

 

Jasper had told me that he didn’t care to be called Major anymore and he only tolerated Peter calling him that because they fought in the trenches together. For most people who wanted to call him by his military rank, he would simply explain that he was retired and no longer used that title.

 

No matter what life seemed to have given him, Jasper always seemed to find a way of changing and adapting himself to the situation. From being a human soldier to a vampire that spread terror across the lands and then becoming a part of a peaceful and passive family only to be a pawn of a crazy grand scheme. Then taking all that he had been through and reinventing himself once more by combining his experiences to be the man he is today. I was so fucking proud of him. I heard the stories of how hard it is to change and adapt when you’re a vampire. Well, Jasper is walking proof that it was possible. I looked up at him and smiled as I brushed a stray lock of hair off his face and thought how, in such a short time, this man had become so important in my life.

 

“You okay?” he whispered softly against my neck.

 

“Just thinking about how you’ve taken aspects of your life; both good and bad and you’re so much more at ease now than you ever were. You aren’t the military killing machine from back in the day but you’re not the sweater wearing, khaki pants guy who always seemed to sit in the darkened corner of the room either,” I replied.

 

Peter and Char laughed as they looked at him, no doubt picturing or remembering him in those awful outfits. I swear, those Cullen guys all looked like they were in some sort of crazy preppy clothing ad.

 

“You’re so much more at ease with yourself and look at you Jasper.” I pointed to his tight t-shirt. “I never would have seen you in something like this back then, right? I am so fucking proud of you, Jasper Whitlock and I love you so much.”

 

“And I love you, Isabella. You’re right; you never would have seen me lookin’ like this because I wasn’t allowed to be proud of my marks. It wasn’t until the past few years that I realized that these were marks of valor and nuthin’ to be ashamed of. It wasn’t until a beautiful brunette siren captured my heart and my soul that I realized I was a good man and deserved to love and be loved.”

 

Jasper must have been projecting some really heavy emotions of his own because Peter picked up Char and practically ran out towards the elevator.

 

“We’ll pick ya up in the mornin’ to get you to the airport. And we’ll report anything that comes up, Major. Kitten and I will leave you two lovebirds alone.”

 

“No love in the elevator, Polaroid,” I teased as they pressed the button.

 

“Wait til y’all are at the bottom of the mountain if you’re gonna have a rodeo in the backseat of the Stang,” Jasper joked.

 

Peter shot us a glare as the elevator door closed.

 

“So darlin’ you ready to go back to where all this began for you?” Jasper smiled but I could see from his eyes he was a little concerned knowing what I had been through after they had left.

 

“Yeah the sooner we leave, the sooner we get back here.”

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTES:
> 
> A little intense there but I gave them some fun times afterwards. Next stop Washington...
> 
> Ringtones -
> 
> Peter - Hillbilly Bone - Blake Shelton and Trace Adkins
> 
> Char - Gunpowder and Lead - Miranda Lambert
> 
> Bella's ringtone for Jasper - Real Good Man - Tim McGraw
> 
> Jasper's ringtone for Bella - She Likes it in the Morning - Clay Walker
> 
> Mini-concert songs:
> 
> Pride and Joy - Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
> 
> Your Touch - The Black Keys
> 
> Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd
> 
> Born to Run - Bruce Springsteen
> 
> Crazy Town & She's Country - Jason Aldean
> 
> Southern Voice - Tim McGraw


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warm fuzzies to DarkNnerdy; my constant sounding board. JaspersBella, SparklingFae and JaspersWoman for prereading this. The ever so fabulous MsMynxi for her mad beta skillz. :)  
> As always, I don't own this story, it belongs to SM but the madness comes from me.  
> WARNING – This chapter contains violence/torture/lemons. Be forewarned.

**Chapter 12**

**_Songs:_ **

**_Smashing Pumpkins – Eye_ **

**_Muse – Time is Running Out_ **

**BPOV**

We were saying goodbye to Peter and Char when Peter got that look in his eyes. It was still strange seeing his eyes flash the blue from his human days before going crimson again. I tried not to stare at him, like I did the last time he had a snapshot.

“Something isn’t gonna be right about your trip,” he said as he shook his head as if to glean more information somehow.

“Peter, what and where specifically?” Jasper asked.

“Abandoned building is the image I keep gettin’. I don’t know. But the thing that keeps poppin’ into my head is some unstable force,” he answered, a little frustrated.

Normally his snapshots were more concrete and defined from what Jasper has told me, but this time his snapshot was blurry from an out of focus camera.

“Alright Polaroid, I’ll make sure we are both shielded,” I said as we headed towards the tarmac. I figured it wouldn’t hurt. “Call or text us if you hear anything about Phoenix or if you get another snapshot.”

We boarded Jasper’s Gulfstream and I sat next to him in the cockpit. It was a beautiful airplane with a tricked out interior. Jasper explained that the interior was custom designed with the latest in high tech gadgets. Even the cockpit looked like a video game screen as he showed me the displays. He ran through the pre-flight checks and then radioed the tower letting them know we were ready to taxi out. It was great that we could use the small airport here. I’d imagine things would be a lot different when we landed in Seattle later in the day.

Once the plane was in the air, Jasper flicked on some country music and we were able to relax a bit. He pulled me onto his lap as he showed me the different controls and what they were for. I was really glad to have my vampire brain because some of this stuff would have caused Bella’s brain to explode and I told him just that.

“Jasper? What made you go back to human blood? Not that I’m complaining, I’m just curious.” I asked while we flew across the U.S. border.

“When I was with the Cullens, I was always made to feel like I was gonna drain a whole fuckin’ town if I even stared a second too long at a human, which, as you know, caused me to question my own control. So when I left, I was at a crossroads of sorts,” he explained. “I could either continue feelin’ the self-doubt that they perpetuated or I could trust myself that I’d make the right decision. I knew that if I wanted to go back on the human diet that I'd want to follow the same rules that Peter and Char had on feeding. It wasn't an overnight decision and I was unsure of things at first. I talked to Peter and Char a few times about my doubts but you know what? They believed in me. They also said whatever I wanted to do, I had their utmost support. Since they lived nearby, I couldn't afford to lose control and destroy a fuckin' town like before. I had to believe in myself that I could do it and it helped that Peter and Char believed in me as well.”

Jasper looked out the window for a moment before continuing, "So one day, while I was in town, I spotted a drug dealer and just started followin’ him. I realized as I cornered him at a dead end road, that I didn’t have this super bloodlust that those Cullens all thought I’d have. After drainin’ him, I didn’t feel the guilt that I once did and not only that, I felt like I was in more control than ever before. I felt free and haven't slipped, feedin' on an innocent since. I also felt like I could interact with humans more, you know?"

I smiled at Jasper. “I am glad you decided to be strong and trust yourself. Having a family that believed in you helped a lot too,” I said as I wrapped my arms around him. Once again, I was grateful he had Peter and Char there for him. “I understand about feeling human, though I seem to carry quite a few human traits it seems." I snickered at that. "Jasper, I was never afraid of you when I was a human and I definitely love you with the crimson eyes, makes you look absolutely sinful. Even if you still had the gold eyes though, I would still love you.”

“Isabella, your eyes are fuckin’ beautiful, not that they never were before. Like I said, I always wanted to, but never got the chance to get to know you while you were human, but I am glad we have been able to right that wrong.” He smiled and kissed my hair.

As we sat there listening to the hum of the engines, I realized that riding in a plane with Jasper was a lot more enjoyable than flying in the private Volturi jets. I told him about the fine crystal stemware and all he could do was shake his head and chuckle. I did suggest that next time we should get some beer steins for this plane and I could fix us up some drinks.

We passed more time away watching a movie, thankful we could multi-task with our expansive brains and before long, we were nearing the Pacific Northwest. I looked down at the window and saw the lush green that reminded me of our house but I knew it wasn’t the same. It would be cold and cloudy here.

We landed at SeaTac airport in the evening. While in the air, Jasper had radioed ahead to arrange for a driver to pick us up. By the time we landed our jet and were secured and cleared by immigration, we were greeted by our driver, Frank. I had not met him yet but I knew he was highly recommended by the Volturi. He didn’t know who we were of course, but he was always well paid and was known to be discreet.

After dropping our bags off at the Grand Hyatt, we took a leisurely walk down to First Avenue. Peter’s warning was still fresh in our minds and we felt it best to keep ourselves sated, just in case. Jasper explained that there were a number of vagrants and druggies that loitered around at a park near Pioneer Square at night which made for a nice selection of meals. It was a quiet evening and there weren’t any sporting events at the nearby stadiums so we pretty much had the place to ourselves.

When we got there, the distinct stench of human waste and booze hit us. But most importantly, the scent of human blood and the sound of heartbeats could be heard. We walked around the dimly lit area scouting out for any signs of danger while also searching for our potential dinner. Being that it was night we didn’t have worry about hiding our eyes.

We heard some noises and a sound of glass being broken over something followed by a thud. Someone had gotten hit and by the time we got to the alley way, we smelled freshly spilled blood on the floor. There was a man bleeding on the ground and from the looks of it, he was mugged. I wanted to find that little petty thief and drain him dry. Muggers and vandals were probably my favorite closely followed by drug pushers.

I could see that Jasper was sniffing the air to find his meal and when he locked in on a scent, I squeezed his hand letting him know I was going to be okay and I could see he was hesitant to leave me. With a hug and a kiss, I ran off to find the mugger. I made sure as we separated that I kept the inner shield hovering over us.

It didn’t take me long to find him, he was already trying to hit up on another victim. This young girl must have been a tourist based on the fancy camera she had around her neck. As he threatened her with a knife, I flitted quietly over behind him and tapped his shoulder. The man was shocked but recovered quickly and tried to stab me with his dinky little weapon. I punched him like a human would since the girl was still there and then told her to walk out now and quickly. She nodded and took off.

I knew Jasper was close; the pull was telling me he was over in the next street and he was probably using one of those old stairwells that lead down to below street level. Using the pull like a compass, I dragged the struggling man behind me and got a little closer to Jasper. It helped relieve that tension from my inner shield so it no longer felt like an overinflated balloon. I could tell from his growls and the scent of blood that he was already feeding. Even though we were close and connected by my shield, I couldn’t wait to be right next to him once again.

The man was still struggling, so I picked him up and pushed him hard against the wall. He tried to stab me with his knife again and only managed to pierce the sleeve of my shirt before the blade broke. He was scared now and the fear that emanated from him made the venom pool in my mouth. I pulled him down so his neck was closer to me and licked his neck. I felt him shivering as my cold tongue tasted his skin and found his pulse.

“Say hello to your worst nightmare,” I whispered before biting down hard and latching on.

The feel of warm blood as it coated my mouth had me rolling my eyes back. Bagged blood helped ease the burn of thirst in between feeds but this was pure blood; straight from the tap and it was fucking good. As the man’s heart tried to pump more blood to his vital organs, I squeezed him harder causing a whimper to escape his mouth.

I heard footsteps as my meal’s heart started to slow. I turned towards the sound ready to defend my kill before my instincts realized it was Jasper. He was dragging his man’s body behind him. I grinned while I was still latched onto the man and watched as he moved a dumpster closer and threw the man inside. When I was done, I ran my nail down the man’s throat so it looked like he himself was probably a victim of a mugging. I walked up to Jasper and tossed the man into the same dumpster.

I reached into my pocket for my mini-flame thrower just as Jasper flicked open his Zippo. We both looked at each other and laughed. I was running low on fuel on mine and therefore it was expendable so I set some paper on fire before tossing the thing into the metal container. I turned to walk out the alleyway when Jasper grasped my arm and twirled me back to him, dipping me.

“Are we dancing now, handsome?” I teased him.

“I just needed to get this,” he whispered against my lips and I waited to feel his lips on mine but instead, I felt his tongue lick the corner of my mouth.

Fuck, he knew that would get me and I could almost feel as though my knees were going weak.

He pulled me back up and winked at me before we headed back towards downtown Seattle. We took our time getting back; our thirst was sated now and we were holding hands. I couldn’t wait to get back to the room and wash off the grime from our feed. I looked up at Jasper and saw his brilliant crimson eyes and smiled. I felt so lucky to have fallen in love with a man like him.

Even though we looked like we were a typical love-struck couple, our senses were still on high alert. It bothered us that Peter wasn’t able to get a more detailed snapshot of what was to come, but at least it was something. We crossed the street and into the hotel and when we got into the empty elevator, he lifted me up and my legs automatically went around his waist as he ran his tongue across my lips. I pressed the button to our floor as my lips parted for him. Our kiss immediately got heated as he pressed me against the elevator wall.

“You’re so fuckin’ beautiful, Isabella. I can tell just how wet you are,” he growled as he trailed kisses from my mouth to my jaw and then just below my ear.

As turned on as I was, I was a little nervous. We were really close to claiming each other and I guess I was just over thinking everything.

He sensed my nervousness because he looked at me with those smoldering eyes. “Babe, remember what I said, we’ll know when we are ready.”

The elevator chimed letting us know we had arrived at our floor. He carried me into the room and into the bathroom.

As we took each others’ clothes off; our eyes never left one another. We were lost in our own world as he turned on the water to the oversized shower and guided us into our watery cocoon. The shower felt good as our bare flesh touched, the water warming our skin.

We took our time exploring each other’s bodies; kissing and caressing each other as we washed the remnants of our meals away.

Nothing was hurried as he slid into me. Our hands were buried in each other’s hair as he pressed me against the shower wall. The water rushing, our words of love and the sounds of our moans were the only noises as time stood still for us. Our bodies were still connected as we slid together down to the shower floor and became a tangled mess of arms and legs. As the warm water rained down on us, we slowly brought ourselves to release.

After drying off, we slipped on the hotel robes and sat out on the balcony. We barely talked as we laid there on the chaise lounge just holding each other. We were, without a doubt mates and what Jasper said about our hearts being marked already? I knew exactly what he meant.

As the sky brightened we could see that the sun was probably not going to make an appearance this morning. No matter, we were going to see _him_ when we got to Forks.

It turned out to be a typical overcast day in the Pacific Northwest, but taking no chances, we donned our sunglasses and left the hotel to walk around the city later that morning. We wandered around, taking in the sights and sounds, blending into the crowd. The humans kept their distance from us for the most part. There were some vagrants that got too close as they looked for spare change or food; their senses dulled from the bottle or whatever drugs they were on.

It was late afternoon when we passed an old abandoned building close to where we were the night before. We heard a couple of men talking in menacing tones. We looked at each other and headed towards the noise. Inside the building on the dirty floor, there were a couple of young girls bound and gagged huddled in a corner.

The two men were standing over them looking at the girls as though they were prey. They were probably high school age or even younger. I heard the growl start to grow from within Jasper’s chest and was ready to pull my inner shield up all the way and throw my outer one. Whatever he was feeling must not have been good at all. Jasper pulled me close and pointed to the girls.

“Take them the fuck away from here,” he whispered gruffly before squeezing my hand and sending me his love. I understood that he wanted to take care of the men, though I was hoping to get a little bit of fun with them as well. “I’ll meet you back at the hotel and we’ll leave.”

I nodded and waited for his silent signal. All of a sudden the scene in front of me changed and all four bodies slumped over in a deep sleep. I grabbed the girls and raced out of the building.

I removed their gags and ropes as I quickly checked them over to make sure they were physically fine and headed towards a quiet area a few blocks away. They were awake now but confused. I walked them into the nearest coffee shop to get them beverages and I explained that I saw them and helped get them out safely.

In the midst of the rescue, I realized that I didn’t have Jasper shielded at all and felt awful. Even though I didn’t think there was going to be danger nearby, I hoped like hell this wasn’t what Peter was talking about in his mysterious snapshot.

The girls thanked me profusely and explained that they were sisters on their way to study at the main library when they were grabbed and brought to that building. They were scared that they’d be in trouble so I asked if I could call their parents to let them know they were fine. I made the call and explained that they were on their way; that they had gotten lost around town and then I called Frank to see if he was busy. Frank answered immediately and I explained the situation. He arrived fifteen minutes later and I explained that the girls had missed their ride and needed to be home. I slipped him a couple hundred dollars and the taller girl gave him the address.

When that was done, I headed back towards the hotel in a fast human walk trying hard not to clench at my chest. I was breathing hard even though I obviously didn’t need to. My phone buzzed and I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw the message was from Jasper. _‘Got us a car, I’m in front of the hotel.’_ I responded back that I was on First Avenue and I would be there shortly. I was tempted to run over there because the pain was becoming unbearable. I wanted and needed to be hear him, now. I knew where I needed to head and could feel the pull but then it changed and I was confused but that didn’t matter, I headed straight for the hotel as we agreed. When I reached a corner and waited for the traffic to turn, I heard someone laying their horn and I turned ready to flip the asshole off. Instead, I saw Jasper with a big ass grin on his face sitting behind the wheel of a new black Camaro SS.

_Oh hell yeah, that is so sexy!_

I got in the car and he pulled away. I reached over and put my hand in his and he responded by pulling me closer to him. I breathed him in and felt that ache slowly disappear. I told him that I got Frank to take the girls back home and he explained that he took care of the men. I tried not to show my disappointment; I was hoping to give them a taste of their own medicine.

As we headed towards the Ferry terminal, I heard it. Heartbeats very close by. I turned towards the sound and realized they were coming from the trunk. I looked at him knowing that he could feel my suspicions and curiosity and he just grinned and mouthed, “you’ll see”.

The ferry ride across the Sound was quiet. I was still curious at what he had in the car but I decided to wait. We stood by the railing and I had my inner shield up and my outer shield out we held onto each other and breathed in each other’s scents. Even though we were both focused on each other we were also very aware of our surroundings. It had sucked being apart like that but it felt good that we saved some young human girls who otherwise would have been nothing more than headline news.

I was a little apprehensive going back to that place I said goodbye to so long ago. It was bittersweet, so many good memories but so many bad as well. I just leaned against Jasper and watched as we got closer and closer to land.

No words were needed as we drove towards Forks, where so many years ago, we first saw each other. It was surreal and we’ve come so far. The drive was fast and we got there in no time. The first thing I wanted to do was go visit my father’s memorial. I had explained to Jasper one night that I had wanted to start a memorial dedicated to fallen peace officers with some the insurance money and his pension I received after his death. I scattered most of his ashes at his favorite fishing hole and left a small amount specifically for this wall. The city approved unanimously and the memorial wall was erected right before I was scheduled to change. That was the last time I set foot in Forks.

“Come with me?” I asked as we got out of the car and head towards City Hall. He nodded and I walked with him, leaning against him for support. We got to the memorial and I easily spotted Charlie’s plaque in the dark.

“Daddy? I’m here with Jasper. You see him every day with me as I say hi to you.” I gripped onto Jasper’s hand hard and could feel him sending me his love and comfort. “He’s an important part of my life and I wanted to bring him here to see you. I love him dearly and wish you had a chance to have met him. I know you would have loved him too.” We stayed there a few minutes as I laid my cheek on Charlie’s name plaque. I kissed his name before we left. “I’ll see you at sunrise. I’ll always love you, Daddy.”

I was crying by the time we reached the car. Jasper pulled me close and held me as I sobbed with tears that would never fall. He made sure I was calm enough before we both got in and headed for our next destination.

When we got to their mansion, I could see it was overgrown with brush and the structure was still there but severely burned and irreparable; the top floors destroyed. There was a huge hole off the side of the house and we pulled the car right in where the living area used to be. We got out of the car and Jasper walked with me towards the trunk.

“Darlin’, open up your surprise,” he said with laughter in his eyes.

I opened the trunk and there, bound and gagged, were two tear streaked and dirt-encrusted men. They were same assholes that kidnapped the young girls earlier. I looked at Jasper and back at the men before looking around at the Cullen Mansion.

“A picnic, Jasper?” I responded with laughter and excitement.

“Maybe not a picnic, but more like piñatas?” he replied with a wicked gleam in his eyes.

I reached up and kissed him hard. It just seemed appropriate that we have some fun here. Those prudish assholes would certainly not have approved what we were about to do and I just wanted to stick it to them that much more. I knew what they did to my Jasper and tried to do to me. I only wished they were here to see what he, no, _we_ were capable of.

I didn’t need Jasper’s gift to feel the fear from the men. I could smell it rolling off of them. The beast in me roared happily in anticipation. We dragged them out of the car and tossed them onto the floor.

I looked around at the room. There was partially burnt furniture littered around and I spotted what was once the baby grand piano that belonged to that boy _;_ his fucking pride and joy. It was lying haphazardly on broken and burned legs.

_Perfect and so apropos._

I moved quickly to the piano and pushed it towards the center of the room. I looked at Jasper and grabbed his hand.

“Give it to them, Whitlock,” I said with a devious smile.

“Yes ma’am!”

I let go of his hand and ran over to our new toys. I slashed through the ropes and gags before returning to Jasper. He sent them fear and their screams filled the air. My eyes started to darken. I watched Jasper’s eyes do the same. I threw my outer shield towards the men and they were pinned against the busted piano.

“Ah, music to my ears,” I smirked and gave Jasper a wink, he had a wicked smile on his face as he continued unleashing more fear to the men.

It had been several weeks since that fateful night in El Tigre’s mansion. Having fed the night before, neither of us were thirsty but we were hungry for some fun. Jasper moved up to the men and looked at me. I dropped my outer shield and grabbed one of the men and Jasper grabbed the other and sent him something to make him pass out for the time being before pushing him to the floor.

I slapped the kidnapper’s face hard and once again, let my imagination of seeing that _boy_ in front of my face take over. I inhaled deeply and hissed. The impact of my blow must have cut the inside of his mouth. A growl formed deep within my chest. I grabbed the man by his throat and slammed him onto the piano. I took a hold of his arms and pinned them above his head. I wasn’t gentle about it either and heard the sound of his shoulders dislocate as the man howled in pain. I heard Jasper chuckling while I kept my shield on the human so he was pinned hard against the piano top. I reached over and raked his chest with my nails, tearing deep into the man’s flesh and watched as the crimson pooled and started to stain his shredded white shirt.

I snarled at the human, “What did you call yourself back there? A demon? Well, today is your lucky day because we’re about to send you to hell on a one way ticket.” I laughed and took hold of the man that Jasper was holding.

“Have at it, Whitlock,” I said with a grin on my face.

I walked over to the unconscious man and Jasper must have sent him something to wake him as I grabbed his hair. His eyes were wide and he was blubbering and begging for his life. I pushed him down on the piano and slammed his head into the top. He was facing his partner so he was able to watch what Jasper was about to do.

I watched as Jasper leaned his head down at the man’s chest and licked some of the blood that was streaming down to the piano and floor.

“Share with me, darlin’?” he drawled out.

I pushed the other man back onto the ground and he laid there in a fetal position. I moved to the bleeding man grabbed his arm squeezing hard as I tasted the blood that was dripping down his wounds before pulling him onto his feet and his legs nearly buckled underneath him. Jasper reached over and slashed his neck and blood splattered on us. Our demons were enjoying that we let them out to play.

The feel of that warm red liquid on me and seeing it on Jasper brought me back to that wild first night. While there were some similarities this was also different; it was more intimate and personal as we continued to smack this man around, slashing into him and letting the blood wash over us. Our pitch black eyes never left each other as we continued to brutally mutilate this human. We laughed as we tore his limbs off and tossed them unceremoniously onto the floor. We didn’t care; the two men were fucking scum and who knows what they would have done to those children if we hadn’t shown up. When this was over, I was sure we’ll set the damn place on fire for real and burn it to the fucking ground this time.

One body down, another to go. We both slashed into the man's neck, arms and legs and watched as the blood spurted out his main arteries. Just like that first night, we wanted the blood on our skin, on the floor and all around us. By the time we were done, we were both coated in blood. I could see that look in his eyes and I knew my eyes were the same; pitch black and full of need. I wanted him; I wanted him to claim me and I wanted to do the same to him. It wasn’t just the animal within me this time, the woman in me wanted it, too.

I pushed the second broken and drained corpse off the busted piano and pushed Jasper against it as I reached up and kissed him. I ran my tongue along his neck tasting him and the blood of the men. I moaned in pleasure as I tasted his skin and the sweet blood that was drawn from fear and pain. Our growls filled the air as I grabbed and tore his clothes off, throwing them onto the floor and mine were shredded a split second later.

Our lips collided and we crashed onto the piano busting it completely so it was now in pieces on the floor. We growled into each other’s mouths. We licked the blood off of each other’s necks. I grabbed his head as his hands kneaded first one breast and then the other before pinching my nipples. I whimpered as I rolled my hips against him and felt his hard cock against me. I was wet and reached down to gather some of the juices onto my fingers and brought them up to us. I watched as his tongue curled around my finger and pulled it into his mouth, tasting me while I tasted the other one. I was gone. I pulled him towards me and kissed him; my tongue fighting with his for power.

Our hands were all over each other, our fingers digging into our flesh. I pulled him up to a sitting position and wrapped my arms around his neck as I slid onto him. I tossed my head back nearly hitting the floor as my body arched in pleasure.

“Fuck, Jasper, you feel so fucking good,” I moaned out loud as I lifted myself up and dropped down onto him again.

He grabbed my hips and set the pace as we continued the rhythm. I was lifted up and dropped down onto his cock that was now slick with my arousal. I wanted and needed this and as I saw the look in his eyes, I realized that he was feeling the same exact need. This had to be it, this was like no other time before; the need was so much stronger.

My senses felt like they were more sensitive to him than ever before. Each touch of his left a heated trail on my skin; it didn’t burn, it just made me crave him, bad. The look on his face as he grabbed onto my hips was like none before. I was his prey and would be feeling his teeth, tonight. Each sound; the slamming of our bodies, my incoherent whimpers and moans and his growls tugged at me like no other time. This yearning, this desire was at the deepest part of me and was ready to come out.

“Fuck, Isabella! I can feel you, you want this too! Are you sure? Tell me!” he growled.

I couldn’t talk though, as much as I wanted to tell him yes. I did the only thing I was able to do. I tilted my head to my side slightly, exposing my neck to him and pulled his head to me. I wanted to show him I was ready.

He flipped us over and drove himself in me even harder as my legs tightened around him and my nails scratched his back. I could feel I was close, my walls were starting to clench tightly around his cock. His head was at my neck and I could feel when his lips parted.

Venom began to pool in my mouth and just as his teeth sank into my flesh, mine sank into his. I arched my back at the feel of his teeth and the sting of his venom hurt like hell. At the same time, the pain was mixed with the pleasure of feeling him pounding into me. Fuck, I went over the edge and came hard. I had to let go of his neck as I screamed out his name. I felt his teeth unlatch from my neck as he roared my name in response.

As we both laid there breathing hard, I ran my tongue across the mark on his neck to help seal his wound. I tasted his venom as it mixed with my own and moaned in pleasure. I felt his tongue sealing his mark on me and we continued to hold each other. A new sound came from both of us; a purring sound from deep within, our beasts were satisfied. I kept brushing my fingertips against my mark on him and I felt his lips against my own neck. We just held each other not needing words for who knows how long. I was now his and he was mine. Not that I didn’t feel that before, but our marks now just proved it and showed the world without a doubt we were fucking mates.

“Jasper, our clothes.” I looked up at him. We were still connected and entwined on the floor.

“I packed our stuff and checked out of the hotel, we’re headin’ back after this,” he replied as he kissed my hair.

“How?”

He got up and walked over to where the remnants of his jeans laid and grabbed his phone. On the screen was a message from Peter: ‘ _Make sure you pack clothes for you and Cookie before heading to Forks_.’ I giggled and shook my head. That crazy fucker.

I reached into the back seat and grabbed our bags and we headed towards what used to be the kitchen. Water was still available as we took our time washing the blood off each other. As we finished dressing, Jasper headed to the car again and fiddled with some mechanisms that I knew to be charges for explosives.

I grabbed our stuff and consolidated it all into one bag. I felt his hand on my back and looked up at him. Our eyes were back to normal and once again I saw the warmth of his smile on his face. I felt his love wash over me and I concentrated on sending my love to him knowing he could feel it too.

“I love you Jasper Whitlock,” I whispered to him.

“I love you Isabella Charles,” he whispered back.

We walked out the house for the last time. It felt good knowing we had some fun with humans and then together over the ashes of his former family. Jasper reached into his pocket and handed me the detonator, nodding in the direction of the driveway.

We headed out towards the driveway and I was ready to press the button, just then a strange but familiar sickly floral scent of vampire filled my senses.

“Bella?”

 


	13. Chapter 13

**CHAPTER 13**

_**SONGS:** _

_**No Rest for the Wicked – Godsmack** _

_**It's Not You - Halestorm** _

 

_**JPOV** _

_Mine._

I'll never forget that moment when she looked at me with so much love, trust and need. To watch her as she tilted her head and offered her neck to me was the sexiest fuckin' thing I had ever seen and experienced. When my teeth sank into her flesh and I felt hers on my neck, I felt our pain, but most of all, it was our pleasure that drove me on. The intensity of that moment when she let go and screamed my name in ecstasy had me releasin' her neck so I could roar out hers. We were each other's even though we'd known that already. As we lay there afterwards there was a sense of calm and for the first time, I heard a purr coming from me as the demon within answered the purr of my mate.

 

She was watching me as I set the detonators on the Camaro. I hated to blow up such a fine lookin' vehicle but the garage was all but destroyed and there weren't any cars left there. I needed to destroy the bodies and thought by blowin' this place up, we could burn and bury both our memories forever. Of course that meant we'd have to make a run to the nearest airport and then hire a copter back to SeaTac, but hell, it was more than worth it.

 

We walked out towards the driveway when I reached into my pocket for the remote and handed it to her just as we stopped so she could press the button. I smelled that familiar heavy perfume of flowers. I was shocked but then felt only trickles of emotions as I realized she had thrown her inner shield up on us.

 

Eddie _fuckin'_ Cullen.

 

The fucker was alive and had the gall to call Isabella by her human name.

 

I felt utter shock comin' off of her as she stared. Slowly, the shock was replaced with anger and revenge but she was speechless. I was still hopin' that it was an apparition. He was fuckin' alive. Fuck, was I that fuckin' careless? I had to have been, if he was still here. Fuck!

 

I was assessing him; his emotions and demeanor and realized something wasn't right with Eddie. He was disheveled and missin' an arm. His eyes were still that gold color, but they were different by the way he kept dartin' his eyes back and forth. This must have been that thing that Peter warned us about. This had to be that snapshot.

 

Isabella continued to stare at him as she got more and more pissed. All the bullshit he spewed on her when she was human and knowin' how they tried to make me look like I had no more control than a goddamn newborn, she was itchin' to get her hands on that asshole. I could feel her anticipation and saw her hands flexing, ready to tear and rip flesh. If that fucker tried anything, I was also ready to rip his whole fuckin' body apart and light each and every piece on fire, saving his fuckin' head for last.

 

"Bella? Oh love, I'm here," he looked at her and gave a smile that I knew human girls used to lust after and I felt thick waves of disgust coming off of Isabella. If she was still human, she probably would have lost her meal right there. His smile wasn't even the same, given that he had a missin' arm and what looked to be some burnt flesh surrounding it, I assumed his arm didn't make it out of the fire. I was sure that the missin' arm had something to do with the crazy look he had. I'd ever seen a sane vampire who had a permanently destroyed limb.

 

I growled and felt Isabella squeeze my hand and then I felt the pure and absolute love she had for me flow into my body. I couldn't help but smirk as I looked at her. I sent her my feelings and saw her eyes brighten with joy.

 

"Jasper, why can't I hear your thoughts?" Edward demanded irritably. Asshole was still actin' like he was the spoiled brat, golden child he was always treated as. I noticed as his eyes shifted back and forth between us and when he saw our clasped hands he sped towards us.

 

Isabella brought her shield out so it acted like a wall. Edward was forcefully stopped six feet away and kept lookin' at us with wild lookin' eyes, while my woman was radiating what felt almost like a mental fist pump. I took a read on his emotions and felt possessiveness, concern, outrage, and nervousness comin' strong off of him. There were also a rash of other emotions that I felt but they came and went so quickly I couldn't get a good read on them.

 

"What is going on? Why can't I hear you?" he asked again, more annoyed this time.

 

"What do you mean, Edward?" I asked him and smirked again.

 

"I can't hear you and I can't move any closer. What is going on?" he asked.

 

Before I could answer, he looked over towards Isabella and continued, "Love, what is going on? I can't protect you from danger if I can't get closer to you."

 

I tried not to laugh. If only he knew. I felt Isabella's humor at his concern and her reassurance as well. I knew I as much as I wanted to tear him a new one right now, she wanted her chance at the boy.

 

"I don't need protection Edward, but thanks for the offer," she replied casually. "Oh and don't ever fucking call me your love again."

 

"Language, Bella," he chided. "Love, you do need protection. And the first thing we need to do is get you to a proper diet."

 

Was he for fuckin' real? I checked his emotions and he felt like someone who really believed his words.

 

Isabella and I turned to look at each other and back at Eddie. We were both at a loss for words. I watched out of the corner of my eye as Isabella let go of my hand and slowly unzipped her jacket revealin' her tank top. I knew what she was doin' and all I could see was how fuckin' beautiful and sexy she was. She was lethal and I knew what she was capable of doin' if given the chance. I immediately spotted my mark on her neck and sent her my pride and my love.

 

"Oh love, you've been scarred. See, I could have prevented that," he continued with that damn grin on his face.

 

I wanted to knock that shit off his face right then and there but I was very curious to see what my Isabella was gonna do. I shook off my own jacket to show off my scars and smiled as his eyes widened. Isabella looked at me and I felt some lust comin' off of her. She smiled and I winked at her in return.

 

Edward must have seen our exchange and he started growlin'. It should have been a warning but comin' from him, I just rolled my eyes and tried not to laugh.

 

"Once again asshole, I am not your love. I don't need, nor do I want, your protection. You're nothing to me," she taunted. "This _man_ next to me will protect me so you don't need to worry your pretty little head about that."

 

"Jasper? He's a monster! Look at him, he's got scars all over!" he yelled. He sniffed the air. "He's tainted you, hasn't he Bella? Oh love, I can help you."

 

"Tainted?" Isabella smirked and narrowed her eyes on Eddie. "Oh _love_ , he taints me as often as I let him and that is all the fucking time."

 

I chuckled at her reply to the boy.

 

_Hell fuckin' yeah!_

"You have no say in the matter now, _Cullen_ ," Isabella sneered. "Jasper and I are mates and there is nothing you can do about that."

 

"No love," he continued talkin' to her as though she was a small child. "I am your mate and you're my Bella."

 

I was ready to unleash my rage at him for even talkin' to my mate, let alone treatin' her like she was a damn child. Isabella looked up at me and whispered softly, "On my mark, Whitlock, drop the motherfucker."

 

She crouched low and I knew she was gettin' ready to attack. As I checked what Eddie was feelin' I felt joy and assumed that he thought she was going to jump into his arms.

 

_Stupid child._

As soon as I felt her squeeze my hand, I unleashed the pain from the humans we had tortured earlier straight to Edward. He screamed in pain and fell onto the ground.

 

Isabella walked up to him and started to laugh. I continued to send pain at him as I watched my mate stalk the boy. She was full of fury and had a menacin' smile that I knew meant she wanted to have some fun with him. I watched as she grabbed his arm and sliced through his beige cashmere sweater.

 

Isabella looked at me and grinned, "Now then, Cullen. Since you seem to have an aversion for marks, let me give you a nice souvenir."

 

I unleashed pain, wrath, and fury, the emotions I had felt that day when I realized his fuckin' family had been deceivin' me all that time. As much as I wanted to know why he was there and why they played their guilt game with me, I wanted to see him hurt. I wanted to hurt him and see Isabella hurt him as well. Edward grimaced and screamed but he was immobilized by the sheer intensity of the emotions. I watched as Isabella bit down hard on his ear before she spat some venom onto her hand and smeared it over the bite. The sound of Edward Cullen screeching as her venom entered his flesh made us both smile as we watched the smug asshole writhin' in pain. I never imagined that this moment would be so sweet.

 

"Oh, look what you made me do," she taunted and grabbed onto his arm before she pulled his hair back and sniffed the air. "Hmm, there is another vampire scent on you. Well, maybe, unless you have started to wear old lady perfume." Isabella looked at me and smiled sweetly. "Jasper, maybe you know this scent?"

 

I slowly walked up to them as I continued my doses to the mind reader. When I got next to Isabella, I placed my hand on the small of her back and sniffed near Eddie's head and noticed a mixture of roses and heavy musk, it wasn't very strong but it was there. I knew that scent and just as I was about to tell her who it was, an exasperated voice could be heard from the driveway.

 

"Edward, what is taking you so long? Can we go now?"

 

Isabella didn't care for the interruption and casually threw her outer shield at Tanya Denali effectively pinning the startled and unaware vampire to the dirt and ignored her shrieks.

 

I knew my mate had some sort of devious plan in her mind and I couldn't wait to see what she was up to. I was more than willin' to sit back and let her have her fun but she was including me in her plans to fuck Edward Cullen up and I sent her my appreciation. I saw her eyes darken as she unlocked her cage lettin' her beast run freely. I felt my eyes darken too as I unlocked mine.

 

"Now Edward," she tsked. "You really shouldn't have been calling me love. You never loved me, did you? I was nothing but a fucking play thing for you." She reached down and pulled his hair violently back so he was forced to look at her as she bit into his ear again but this time she ripped a piece off and spat it to the ground. "Oops, I slipped."

 

I smirked at her remark and then watched as she ran her nail slowly down pretty boy's face. He was screamin' louder now.

 

Tanya was watchin' all of this and as she saw his face get marked, she started cussin' and screamin' in Russian.

 

"Jasper, I seem to have run out of venom, can you help me seal his wound?" she looked at me with mock concern.

 

"Why darlin', it'll be my pleasure to help you," I drawled out and smirked. I was more than willin' to help my woman out as I spat some venom onto the boy's face. Isabella rubbed that onto the wounds causin' Edward to scream and whimper even louder.

 

Isabella turned her attention to the strawberry blonde that was now sobbin' on the floor and started towards her.

 

"I seem to have forgotten my manners. Isabella, the vampire on the floor is Tanya Denali, a cousin of the Cullens. Tanya, my mate Isabella," I said with a smile.

 

"You're not her mate. Bella is mine!" Edward choked out painfully.

 

"Why thank you Jasper, you're such a gentleman," Isabella whispered back and I could feel her amusement as she reached Tanya. "Hmm, Tanya is it?" She reached down and grabbed Tanya by the hair and dragged her until she was lying right next to Eddie.

 

"Jasper! Help me! I'll do anything if you help me," Tanya begged me. "Anything you want, I give it to you."

 

Whether it was done on purpose or not, her voice had a husky quality and didn't need my gift to know that it just pissed off my woman.

 

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Isabella bent low and stared at Tanya. She made sure her scars were visible as she slapped my former cousin hard on the face. "You do not get to look at my Jasper much less talk to him like that, you got me?" Her voice was deathly quiet and I'd be lyin' if I said it didn't turn me on.

 

Isabella stood up and tapped her finger to her chin. "Tanya Denali? I have heard of you back at Volterra," she mused. "You have quite the reputation. So you and Eddie are an item?"

 

I watched as their eyes widened at the mention of Volterra. I felt the emotions comin' off of Tanya as she nodded at Isabella. They weren't an item, as his uncertainty and her nervousness showed through but Tanya wanted to her to believe that they were.

 

"Oh that's fucking rich," Isabella laughed out loud. "A succubus who smells like cheap whore perfume and a virgin golden child. That is just too much." She shook her head and cleared her throat. "Now, back to the task at hand." She quickly grabbed Tanya's arm and ripped it off her body; the metallic sound nearly masked by the wail that came out of Tanya's mouth.

 

"Now, then," she continued taunting the broken succubus. She slapped Tanya once again but this time she used the detached arm as her weapon. "What are you doing here? I want some answers and I want them, NOW."

 

Fuck, I couldn't help but feel I was one lucky motherfucker to have a mate like my Isabella. Beautiful, smart, deadly, and mine. I must have been projectin' my love and pride out to her in full force because she looked at me and dropped the arm before reachin' up to kiss me hard.

 

"I fucking love you, Jasper Whitlock," Isabella whispered. "I need your help to see if you can get them to talk. Why the fuck are they here and what the hell was the reason for how they treated you?"

 

"I'll see what I can do, babe. Hey, if they have a car down at the bottom of the drive, maybe we can use that to torch the place?" I murmured as I tuned out the screeches from the assholes on the ground.

 

"I like that better than torching the Camaro," she said and ran down to the bottom of the drive.

 

I circled the fallen pair and continued to send them fear and pain. I wanted to burn him but I needed answers; we both did. Tanya was probably not an innocent bystander or perhaps she was. I wasn't sure really other than she wished she was Eddie's and he didn't care for her.

 

A dark blue Volvo emerged from the drive way and I watched as Isabella tried to gun that fucker into the house and spinnin' it into a doughnut before stoppin'. She was shakin' her head as she got out of the car and headed back towards me.

 

"What kind of fucking vampire drives a goddamn Volvo?" she asked rhetorically. "Seriously, a sports car I get, a bike I get, but one of the most fucking safest cars out there? This is nothing but a fucking pussymobile!"

 

I often wondered that myself and chuckled as she stood by my side.

 

"Bella, language, it is unbecoming of a lady," Edward berated.

 

Isabella narrowed her eyes and grabbed Edward's arm and pulled his pinky finger off causin' him to scream in agony. She ignored him as lobbed the finger over towards the house.

 

"Jasper, can you switch the explosives and rig his car instead?" she asked and winked. "I'll keep them in line." She took the dismembered arm and slapped the two golden eyed vampires.

 

"Bella, you're confused, love. I'm your mate. I could have protected you from the Volturi and from all your scars," I heard him continue his diatribe and quickly switched out the explosives from the Camaro to the pussymobile. I heard the sound of slaps as I rewired the detonators and laughed as I imagined Isabella slappin' them with Tanya's arm.

 

I was just about done when my phone indicated that I just got a text message. I looked at saw another text from Peter. 'The boy might have answers.'

 

I backed the Camaro out of the house and parked it next to where Isabella pinned down Tanya and Edward.

 

I wrapped my arms around her and whispered against her ear, "Darlin' check my phone. I've got a message from Polaroid." I didn't want to reveal my plans out loud; with her shield around me, we had a definite element of surprise that we needed right now.

 

Isabella reached around and grabbed the phone out of my pocket but not before grabbin' my ass. I chuckled as she winked at me and tried to look innocent in front of the dumbass duo in front of us.

 

"Good point," she responded after readin' the message. She started walkin' around deep in thought. I guess they thought her shield was disengaged because Edward and Tanya started to thrash about thinkin' they could get out of the shield but then realized they couldn't do much but move a few inches back and forth.

 

"Jasper," Isabella called out.

 

I walked up to her as she started to walk away from them again. I turned to see if her shield had dropped but they were still lyin' there pinned down.

 

"Babe?" I asked quietly knowin' any louder and they'll be able to hear.

 

"I'll need your help to see if you can get them to talk," she explained and sighed. "Otherwise, I think we might have to think about an alternate plan." She looked at me pointedly.

 

"I'll see if I can get them to talk. I might not get anywhere so maybe we should plan on the alternate?

She nodded and reached up to hold me tight. I sat down and brought her to my lap. "Fuck Jasper, as much as I want to fucking burn him and destroy him,I know we need answers."

 

I didn't blame her, I wanted to rip his fuckin' head off and set it on a pike before lightin' the damn thing on fire but I knew until we got answers, we couldn't. I had an idea what the alternate plan was gonna be, I was sort of lookin' forward to it but also a bit apprehensive at the same time.

 

"Jasper," Isabella whispered. "I'll call Peter and give him a heads up, either way if that is alright?"

 

"Sure darlin'," I said. "Maybe you can see if there is anything about Phoenix while you're on the phone with him."

 

She smiled and gave me a kiss before headin' over towards the house for some privacy. I knew it wasn't to hide from me but rather from them. Peter's voice was loud and I knew she didn't want any chance of our plans bein' revealed.

 

I walked slowly back to Tanya and Edward on the floor. I could see her arm tryin' to join back to the body so I grabbed it and tossed it further away. I didn't think it would be joined back if Isabella still had her shield on them but I didn't want to take any chances. I knew her inner shield was still over us because their feelings weren't as strong as it would normally be.

 

I didn't say a damn word as I slowly let more and more pain flow into them. By the time I got right in front of them, Tanya was curled up in a ball and whimperin' while Edward's teeth were tightly clenched together but his lips were whisperin' out 'Bella', over and over again.

 

"Wrong fuckin' response, asshole!" I growled out and turned up the pain factor another notch and started to stream drunk feelings in to see if that would affect them.

 

A couple minutes later I felt Isabella's hand squeeze my hip as she came back from her phone call. She showed me her phone and it simply said 'dismember them'. I looked at her and her demon smiled back before she grabbed both of them by the hair handed them to me. I watched as she gathered the finger, arm and ear from the floor and headed towards the house.

When we were half way there, she turned around and grabbed Tanya's hair and dragged her roughly along the dirt as we took our time getting into the mansion. The human bodies we had dismembered were still there and were startin' to smell. I could feel the disgust comin' off of Edward as he saw the blood, the pieces of our toys and our torn clothing. He also saw how his piano was busted and growled."

 

"You're nothing but soulless monsters," he sneered.

 

Isabella took Tanya's arm and slapped him hard. "Shut the fuck up, you have no idea what you're talking about, asshole," she snarled as she dropped the pile of vampire parts on top of our torn clothing.

I dropped Edward onto the floor and watched as Isabella tossed Tanya on top of him.

 

"Now, are you going to talk or what?" she asked sweetly. When they didn't respond, she threw her outer shield at them and the force of the shield caused them to crash into the door of the Volvo tearin' a giant hole on the side.

 

She glanced at me and I sent them a wave of emotions that I used back in the day to break down newborns. They blubbered and shrank from us, but the fuckers just didn't talk.

 

"Okay, let's try this then," she grabbed one of Tanya's high heeled leg and twisted the ankle so fast that

 

Tanya barely had time to scream before she saw her foot thrown into the pile of vampire parts.

 

"Now, talk!" Isabella growled out and still nothin' but whimperin'. "Fucking assholes, is it because you are on a fucking fur diet?" She was pissed as she paced back and forth tryin' to figure out her next move.

 

I upped the stream of emotions by a couple more notches as she clawed a 'J' and an 'I' into Edward's chest. This time, instead of usin' our venom, she just grabbed the dismembered parts and used Tanya's drippin' venom to seal up the mark she made. She then grabbed his ankle and removed it from his body as well.

 

By the end, Tanya had lost her right foot, her left leg from knee down, her arm and a couple of her fingers. Edward lost his left foot, his right leg, his right ear and she even took a bite off of his shoulder just to make things even, as she said.

 

They didn't talk so we knew we had to go to our alternate plan. I was frustrated as fuck and I could tell Isabella was as well.

 

"Jasper, we need to be able to transport them," Isabella said with some concern.

 

I knew once we got back to Peter and Char, we'd be able to get that taken care of but how to transport them without bein' noticed by SeaTac officials was another story.

 

I waved Isabella over as I headed outside towards the Camaro. "Isabella, will you be able to watch them? I think I can steal some of those animal cages from the humane society down the road and we can shove them into the cages for transport. I can also get Peter prepared for our next leg of the trip while I'm out."

 

"Yeah, I can keep them pinned down," she said and turned to watch them through the gaping hole on the side of the house. "If I go, we'd run the risk of that fucker reading your mind and we don't need that. I haven't been able to shield other folks in my inner shield other than you, so your brother and sister might be vulnerable though once we pick them up."

 

"Nah, they can distract him so it won't be a big deal," I said as I pulled her close. "I'll be back soon, just gonna take some cages and that's it." I climbed into the back and ripped the back seats out of the car before I headed down the driveway at breakneck speed.

 

This was the first time we've been separated since we claimed each other a few hours ago and I could already tell that the feeling in my chest wasn't there like before. Still, I didn't want to take my time while my mate was there with those two. When I got to the animal shelter, I saw the trucks and hopped the fence. I broke into four of the trucks and grabbed the cages before slippin' Edward's wallet down the donation chute. Of course, I made sure his none of his ID was there but I laughed as I thought about how I had pick-pocketed him earlier without his knowledge. I knew from the weight of the wallet that the fucker easily carried several grand in cash so this more than covered the stuff I was swipin'.

 

I loaded up the car and headed back to the mansion. I made some phone calls while on the road to get things set up for the next leg of our trip. When I got there, it was deathly quiet and I raced in to see where Isabella was and saw that she had Tanya in a headlock and Edward was still pinned under her shield.

 

"Isabella?" I looked at Isabella not knowin' exactly what to say.

 

"Jasper, this bitch said that my scars were ugly and that you deserved much better than me," she explained and that menacin' look was in her eyes once again. "I explained that I am proud of my scars and so are you. Then her boy toy said that she was right and you were a monster and a freak with your scars."

 

I saw a smirk on her face and I sent her curiosity. She looked at me and once again I could see the love she had for me shinin' through. She lifted Tanya's shirt, exposin' her back and I saw she had also dug a 'J' and an 'I' into her flesh. Unlike the one she did on Edward, she actually looked like she took some time and made the letters pretty. "Now they have matching marks and can pretend they're mated," she laughed. Then she dropped Tanya onto the ground and I noticed she was also missin' an ear.

 

I sent Tanya a wave of my fury for the hatred she spewed at my Isabella. I smirked as I felt her fear roll off of her in waves. "Isabella runs circles above you, Tanya. You're nuthin' but a desperate succubus whose got it bad for a virgin boy," I seethed. "You are not allowed to talk to Isabella again, you got that? If I catch you sayin' anything to her, I will fuckin' rip your head off right then and there and burn your skank body while you watch." I was pissed that she would talk to my mate like that and spat my venom on her face.

 

"With Fuckward, I added a little something else," she explained and pulled his arm up and I noticed that she had torn his sweater sleeve clean off. On his arm she had used her nail to write 'asshole' on and I also noticed that she had left some bite marks on his arm as well.

 

I sent her amusement, pride, and my love as I started to bring the cages out. The sky was startin' to brighten as I stopped and carried her outside. I knew her shield was still keepin' them pinned as we sat on a large rock and watched as the sun rose. I thanked Chief Swan once again for such a wonderful daughter and told him that I wanted to marry her one day. She was my life and I would do anything for her and I wanted him to know that. I kissed Isabella, along her neck and my mark before my lips touched hers.  
  


"Ready for this?" I whispered against her lips. "I made some calls to get things ready."  
  


Isabella sighed. "This fucking sucks, but we need to do this don't we?" she asked as she leaned forward, our foreheads touchin'. "Fuck, okay, let's do this thing."

 

We walked back to the two assholes and looked at the cages and back at the bodies. We didn't say anything but we looked at each other when we realized the only way they'd fit was if we made them smaller. She shrugged as she walked over to Tanya and twisted her head off and tossed it to me like a basketball. I threw her into a cage and watched as she twisted off Edward's head and tossed it to me as well. I smirked as I stuck them in the same cage much to Edward's horror. I laughed as I locked it up and threw the cage into the back seat. The next half hour, the only noises were the metallic sounds of their bodies being torn apart and their agonizin' screams and whimpers. By the time we were done, we just threw in body parts without any regard of who they belonged to.

 

The stuff that we removed earlier, that was still on top of our shredded clothing was still there and I saw Isabella toss a book of matches onto the pile just as I popped the clutch to the Camaro and eased out towards the driveway. She grabbed the remote that was now sittin' on the beverage holder and smiled as she pressed the button and watched as human body parts, a Volvo, and some vampire parts all exploded into the air. I raced down the driveway and headed towards the Bremerton Ferry so that we could get out of there.

 

I made sure that the airport had my plane inside a private hanger and used some bullshit excuse as well as my bankcard to make sure we got that taken care of. We were able to clear our paperwork in no time and I was able to drive the car into the hanger where I loaded the cages into the cargo hold.

 

I helped Isabella into the plane and we ran our checks before we were able to taxi the runway and head back south to pick up Peter and Char. As I got the plane at cruisin' altitude, I pulled Isabella to my lap and kissed her tenderly.

 

"I love you Isabella, you are my life; my everything," I whispered.

 

"Jasper, I love you so much and I am damn proud to be mated to you," she said as she placed a kiss on the mark she gave me.

 

"You ready for plan V, darlin'?" I asked.

 

"Not really but at the same time, yes. I just wished we didn't have to deal with our cargo so we can keep a closer eye on our mission."

 

I reached over and pulled out a cubby revealin' a small communications area. "It ain't Air Force One but it will do if we need to get a hold of anybody," I explained.

 

I watched as she pulled out a laptop and typed out a secured message lettin' everybody know to be expectin' us within twenty-four hours. She also requested to meet with our leaders as soon as we arrived. Then I saw her send quick messages to her sisters to tell her that she was comin' and that she had some special news to share. I took the laptop and looked for a place for the four of us while we were out there and emailed Peter with the details.

 

I held onto her after she was done and I monitored the controls. In the back of my mind, I was hopin' that we'll have some answers and soon.


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to my awesome betas – MsMynxi and heavyinfinity – you ladies fucking ROCK!!!!
> 
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> 
> To my pre-readers – JaspersBella, SparklingFae and JaspersWoman – Thank you so much for all your feedback.
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> Last but not least, to wify DarkNNerdy – sounding board and brainstormer. You're fucking awesome. :)

**Chapter 14**

**_SONGS:_ **

**_Trampled – Led Zepplin_ **

**_Everlasting Light – The Black Keys_ **

****

**BPOV**

When we landed a couple hours later, we were directed to the same private hanger that I had arrived at that very first night. We saw the customs agent, along with Peter and Char, waiting for us as Jasper taxied the plane in. Since it was still daylight, we kept our sunglasses on and stayed in the shadows until we got to a darkened corner where we provided our documents to the government agent.

 

I ran ahead to Char and Peter and hugged them, giving Char a wink as I caught her staring at the mark on my neck.

 

“Major, Cookie, I’ve got the sealed metal containers from storage. Do we have time to change them out before the fuel truck arrives?” Peter asked as he showed us the boxes.

 

Jasper checked his phone before replying, “We’ve got 20 before they arrive and 45 before we take off again. So let’s get 'em switched out or hell, just throw the fuckin’ cages into the metal boxes for all I care. We need to load the plane.”

 

I saw the boxes behind Peter and noticed that he had brought some blood bags so we could have drinks during the flight. I smiled as I grabbed the box and headed on board to the galley. I made sure the fridge was set and threw the bags in there before storing the bottles and glassware.

 

“Cookie, where do you want this?” Char asked from the doorway. It was a bag of clothes that Jasper must have asked them to pack for us.

 

“Thanks Char. Did you pack my cloak?” I asked.

 

She nodded. “Yeah, it is in here,” she replied and patted the bag.

 

I smiled at her. “I think we can just store that in the closet for now. Thanks again.”

 

She nodded and headed to the closet area, pausing to whisper, “Congratulations,” as she passed me. She kissed me on my cheek and headed to the back of the plane.

 

I heard the cargo hold being opened and shut and figured that Jasper and Peter were loading Tanya and Edward into the steel boxes onto the plane. I let them do their thing as I grabbed more bags of clothes, recognizing the scent of one of them as Jasper’s. As I passed him, I smacked him on the ass before running back onto the plane and putting his bag next to mine. Peter and Char used the next closet over to store their stuff and before long we had everything loaded onto the aircraft.

 

We boarded the plane once again as the fuel truck arrived and made sure we had enough to make it to Italy. To ensure Edward wasn't privy to our plans, I continued to keep Jasper under my inner shield. I also thought that having Tanya’s head in the same box as his would distract him as well; at least, I hoped it would. I sat next to Jasper in the cockpit while I looked back to see Peter and Char on the phone with a glass company.

 

“Yes, the window got cracked. I don’t know, must have been a bird strike or somethin'. Yep, penthouse,” Peter explained to whoever it was on the phone.

 

I looked at Jasper and I could see he was shaking with laughter. “What’s so funny and why are they talking about cracked glass in the apartment?” I asked, causing him to laugh even harder.

 

I got up and headed towards Peter and Char just as he hung up the phone. “Alright, what is this about cracked glass in the apartment?”

 

“Cookie, me and the missus might have cracked the glass earlier today,” Peter explained while Char looked around and avoided my gaze.

 

“What did you guys do?” I eyed Peter suspiciously.

 

Peter started fidgeting and I wondered if Jasper had anything to do with that. “Hey the windows were there beggin’ for me to press her against it while-”

 

“Okay!” I interrupted and shook my head. “I don’t need a fucking play by play, literally. I get it. Not only did you leave ass prints on the window but you cracked it as well.”

 

Jasper roared with laughter from the front of the plane and I couldn’t help but start laughing too, though I really tried not to picture that in my head.

 

We got the clearance for take-off soon after and I watched as Jasper taxied the plane out to the runway. Before the tower gave him the okay to take off, I quickly got some drinks ready for the four of us. Given the chaotic day we’ve had, we certainly needed our drinks while we waited until the tower finally let us go and we were able to speed down the runway and into the air.

 

As we headed east towards Volterra, Jasper and I carefully avoided mentioning our destination out loud to Peter and Char in the slight chance that Assward would be able to glean information out of them. Though, given the fact that they kept leaving their seats to go to the lavatory, I highly doubt they were thinking of Volterra at all.

 

Jasper gave me more flying lessons until Peter and Char emerged from their most recent airplane bathroom adventure, insisting on taking the controls.

 

We went to the cabin and made ourselves comfortable. Jasper sat sideways on the long couch and I curled against his side, so I was laying partially on him, just enjoying each other's company. I was breathing in his scent and kissing his scar. The upcoming meeting with the kings crossed my mind and I started to get nervous. I took another deep breath as I tried to calm myself down and think positive.

 

I didn't know what to expect. Would they be able to discover the truth behind Edward and the Cullen family secret? I had a feeling the way he sounded that he actually believed the things he spewed out of his mouth. What about this Tanya chick? How did she factor into the equation? I felt Jasper running his fingers through my hair and I looked up at him and smiled.

 

I knew he felt my nervousness so it was pointless to try to hide it from him. “I just don't know what to expect when we get there," I admitted quietly. "I mean, what if we don't get the answers about why they treated you that way?"

 

It was that shit that brought my demon back out in the first place. Seeing that boy I used to have a crush on and then having him treat me like I was nothing more than some porcelain doll or child was a lot to handle. But knowing that he was one of the masterminds behind wanting to control Jasper was my limit and I gladly opened the door to my demon so she could take care of a few things.

 

"You know I want answers too, but we need to play things by ear," he sighed against my hair. "He's not the same child as before; he's pretty much gone insane. It's what tends to happen when you don't attach your limb and since his is likely permanently destroyed, the chances are greater that he's lost his mind." He brushed his fingers along my neck before gently tracing his mark on me. "He believes everything that came out of his mouth."

 

"Shit, Jasper. I hope we can get the real truth out of him then," I whispered. I took another breath and shook my head, clearing my thoughts of Edward. I looked at Jasper and then towards the cockpit. "So why did Peter and Char insist that they take over the controls?"

 

"It was either that or they were gonna break my plane apart relivin' their mile high club antics," he explained as he rolled his eyes. "Plus I might have sent him more of that PMS cocktail the last time they were in there." He looked at me and smiled. "Besides, they are both avid pilots and I could tell they wanted to fly her. And it means I get to spend some quiet time with you."

 

I kissed his lips and smiled back. “I am also nervous about back _there_ and how they’ll receive you... us,” I admitted, my expression growing serious again. “I am committed to serving them for a decade and even though I have relocated to North America, I don’t know what will happen. It just never occurred to me that I’d find someone, much less my mate.”

 

“We will figure things out, darlin’.” Jasper looked at me and I saw the love that shined in his eyes. “I won’t leave you. I promise you that, Isabella. My obligation with them is open and I can go anywhere so long as you're there.”

 

The cabin lights suddenly dimmed and country music filled the air as I looked up and saw Char blowing us a kiss before shutting the door to the cockpit.

 

“Please tell me they aren’t going to christen the cockpit like they did to the lavatory?” I asked hopefully, shuddering because Jasper and I couldn’t avoid the cockpit as we could the bathroom.

 

Jasper chuckled. “Nah, the lavs are one thing, but Peter takes flyin’ seriously. He just wants to give us all some time alone.”

 

I snuggled closer to Jasper and heard him singing softly.

 

_Every time our eyes meet, this feeling inside me_

_Is almost more than I can take._

_Baby when you touch me, I can feel how much you love me_

_And it just blows me away_

_I've never been this close to anyone or anything_

_I can hear your thoughts, I can see your dreams_

He kept his arm around me as he got up off the couch and held onto me as we began to slow dance. We continued to move slowly, even after the music changed to something faster; we were lost in our moment. It didn’t matter that we were heading to Volterra. It didn’t matter that we were carrying Edward Cullen down in the cargo hold. All that mattered was the man in front of me, holding me in his arms.

 

We danced and held onto each other for a while before Char opened the door and walked into the cabin.

 

"Sorry for interruptin'," she said, nodding to the front of the aircraft. "The captain is wantin' some guy talk." She rolled her eyes and winked. "C'mon, Cookie, we can girl talk out here for a while."

 

I nodded and reached up to kiss Jasper on the nose. "Have fun with your man bonding time," I said, giggling when he smacked me on my ass as he walked by.

 

I dropped off a pitcher of the blood drinks for the guys before setting the other pitcher on the table in between the swivel chairs that were opposite the couch. Char sat down and looked out the window while I poured some drinks for us.

 

"Thanks Cookie," Char said as she took the glass and sipped. "How did you ever figure this out? You know, the booze and all?"

 

I sat back and tucked my legs under me. "The guards," I said and laughed when Char's eyes got wide. "What? I take it that it's their reputation for being hard asses?" I smiled as Char nodded.

 

I took a sip before continuing. "Some of them are, but most of us like to work hard and play just as hard," I said, smiling at the memory. "It was the night I received my official Volturi guard cloak. There were probably ten of us and we were hanging out on the training grounds when Heidi showed up with bottles of alcohol. My sister Jane was there. She's one of the oldest of the guards, vampire wise, but she was young when she was changed so she asked Heidi to buy the booze.  It was part of our initiation and we were to pick a bottle and guzzle it down. Having had some bad experiences with alcohol, I grabbed a bottle of the clear stuff to chug. It was a good thing too… everybody got sick and had to go behind bushes and trees to toss it back up but I was fine. So then the next day, Heidi bought just the clear grain alcohol and we all tried it and realized we could drink it without any problem.” I paused a few seconds before adding, “Be warned though, if you drink more than two bottles, you’ll feel sick afterward. That is what happened to Jane."

 

Char took a sip of her drink and started laughing. The guys were laughing too since I didn’t bother shutting the door when I left them the pitcher.

 

"We sort of kept it a secret at first, especially from the guards, Felix and Demetri. They are nice but sometimes they act like they know everything because they've been around for so long." I snorted. "They manage to piss of Heidi on a regular basis, so she has wanted to get even with them for the longest time. She waited for the next time they did something and decided to challenge them to a drinking contest. They both chose whiskey and were not able to finish their bottle before they were running to spit it back up. She managed to down her bottle plus another one before tossing her hair and strutting out. She says making the guys sick like that was probably one of the highlights of her vampire years.”

 

“Darlin’, I never asked how y’all decided to come up with this spy nickname thing you told me about,” Jasper asked as he leaned against the doorway to the front of the plane.

 

“Oh that!” I laughed. “We had a movie marathon where we watched all the Bond movies and decided we were going to have nicknames. This was soon after I had done my advanced training, so I was on this huge spy kick. So we decided to give each other nicknames based on our skills and that was how we became Riot, Voodoo and Brickhouse.” I looked at Char before adding, “And now you’re Gunpowder.”

 

“Gunpowder?” Char asked.

 

I nodded and showed her the song that I had set as her ringtone. “Yep, you’re my sister aren’t you?” Char looked up and smiled as I reached over and gave her a hug.

 

I was then flooded with so much love as I turned to see Jasper and Peter grinning at us.

 

I continued, “I can see that you are pretty even keeled until something sets you off and I can see you letting loose.”

 

Char laughed. “I guess that is a nice way of puttin’ it. I like that. Thank you.”

 

“Um, darlin’?” Jasper came up behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist and kissed my neck.

 

“Yes?” I responded breathlessly as I took in the emotions he sent me.

 

“Do I have a nickname?” he inquired.

 

I turned around and faced him as wrapped my arms around him. He lifted me up and walked us back to the couch as Char headed to join Peter up front.

 

“Oh, I guess it must have slipped my mind,” I teased as I kissed his jaw gently sucking on his neck, concentrating over the mark I had given him. Jasper moaned as he wrapped a fist around my hair.

 

“Yes... it seems like you have,” Jasper whispered against my neck.

 

“I should remedy that, shouldn’t I?” I whispered.

 

“Only if you want to, Isabella,” Jasper murmured. His eyes were hooded as he pulled my hair back and licked down the column of my throat.

 

“Hey, you two, quit projectin’ yer lust out like that. Fuck, ima bout ready to bend Kitten over and -”

 

“Shut the fuck up, Peter!” we both yelled out loud.

 

I quickly pulled my inner shield up completely as we heard the sound of his head being smacked by Char. He let go of my hair and pulled me closer to him.

 

I kissed Jasper on the lips and smiled. “I didn’t know you wanted a nickname. I thought you might think it was silly,” I confessed.

 

“I would never think that,” he said, “unless you gave me reason to think it is silly.” He looked at me suspiciously.

 

“Well, you did have that dumb one as I recall. No, I have been thinking that ‘cowboy’ would be a good name for you,” I said, watching his eyes widen. “Look, I’ll think of something else if -”

 

Jasper put his finger against my lips. “Shh, Isabella. I think you callin' me cowboy sounds nice,” he laughed. “It just caught me by surprise is all. Other than Major, nobody has ever given me a nickname before that fit. I mean, hell... Jazz... that just didn’t fit me, you know?”

 

I nodded and recalled my fuzzy memories, how even back then the nickname didn’t fit him.

 

“Darlin’, thank you,” Jasper said as he kissed me.

 

I grinned and whispered against his lips, “My sexy, handsome cowboy.”

 

I felt his love and pride wash over me. It was so pure and so powerful, that if I were still human, I would have probably fainted from the intensity of it all.

 

“I fuckin’ love you, Isabella. You’re the best thing that has happened to me in a long time,” Jasper said as he ran his hands up and down my back.

 

“And I fucking love you, Jasper,” I whispered against his neck. I was overwhelmed by the emotions and breathed his scent in, trying to calm myself. “I never knew love would feel this way and I am so fucking lucky to have you in my life as my mate.”

 

I wanted to say more than that but I wasn’t sure if he’d even consider marriage after being married already. Recalling my human memories again, I knew Charlie never did and while I don’t think he pined for Renee, I don’t think he ever put himself back out there after their divorce, preferring to be married to his work and his fishing hobby. I wasn’t sure _how_ I’d even bring this up. I thought about maybe talking to Char, especially after what Jasper had said about them. They were together for a long time before finally getting married. Maybe talking to her would be a good idea after all.

 

I looked up at Jasper and kissed him hard before asking, “Cowboy, would you mind going back to the front? I’d like to talk to Char for a bit.”

 

“Sure babe, I’m glad you’re gettin’ along with her,” he said smiling. “It makes me happy to see that. And you want to know somethin’? Peter is beyond thrilled. For so long, I wasn’t allowed to see them because _that family_ didn’t approve, so Peter and Char just had to rely on each other. The Cullens might have been a fucked up family, but I had more than a pixie to talk to. They only had each other. I can’t tell ya how happy it made him when you gave her a nickname.”

 

“I like them a lot,” I replied. “I hope I can be just as close to them as I am to Jane and Heidi.” I took a deep breath and gathered my nerves before adding, “We’re all family now, right cowboy?”

 

“Yes, and I love hearin’ you say that.” He smiled as he stood up and I slowly released my legs from around him.

 

Jasper knocked on the door to the cockpit and a few seconds later Char came out with a smile.

 

We sat close on the couch this time and I tucked my legs underneath me as I made sure the cockpit door was shut before talking to her.

 

“Char,” I whispered, “do you mind me asking what took you guys so long to get married? I’m sorry if it is too personal; I don’t mean to pry.”

 

Char placed her hand over mine. “Cookie, no worries, you’re not pryin’. We always wanted Jasper to marry us, so we waited until our brother was able to. It was important to both of us that he was there and even though I had already taken our brother’s last name, I always wanted it to be official,” she snickered. “As official as the undead could be. When he showed up at our house and told us about what happened to _them_ , we were both thrilled beyond belief that our brother had come back. It wasn’t until a year later though that we finally had the ceremony. We decided since we had waited that long to wait until it was Jasper’s 145th year as a vampire to get married, since he was the reason I am still here today. We never planned for that year- havin’ him back was the most important thing; 2008 was just the added bonus for us.”

 

I placed my hand over hers, squeezed it, and smiled as I waited for her to continue her story.

 

“The ceremony took place durin’ sunset on a hot Texas day,” Char said, a faraway look in her face as she described her wedding. “The sky was beautiful. There were a few storm clouds brewin’ and that just added to the moment. I had decided to go barefoot and I was wearin' a white eyelet sundress as I walked across the field, carryin’ a bouquet of wild flowers. The ribbon that held my bouquet was the only human item that I had left. It was the ribbon I had on my hair the night I was turned by Peter. He kept it all this time and it was actually my ‘somethin’ old and blue’ that I had for the ceremony. My new was the dress and I borrowed one of Jasper’s cufflinks to wear as a pin.” Tears of happiness were glistening in Char’s eyes as she shared her memory with me. “Peter and Jasper were wearin’ charcoal suits without ties, just the suit pants, white shirts and vests. The ceremony was short and sweet, but it meant so much to all of us. Jasper talked about commitment and love and then Peter and I shared our vows. As Jasper declared us man and wife, we kissed and a lightnin’ storm began from a distance, which just seemed to add to the magic of that day.”

 

“Oh Char, that was beautiful,” I said quietly as I pulled her into a hug. “Thank you for sharing that with me.” I dropped my voice really low and whispered near her ear. “Can I ask you something?” She nodded. “Would Jasper want to... I mean would you think he’d consider, you know... marriage?”

 

Char looked at me and grinned as she took both my hands and nodded before hugging me. “I knew you were gonna be special, Cookie. I just knew it when Peter showed me the e-mail he got from Jasper asking about mates. Of course, I didn’t know for sure until we heard you on the phone. I can say this for sure… Jasper, as you know, is a Southern gentleman and even though he was created for war, he still retains a lot of his upbringin’.”

 

I nodded as I thought back on the numerous times he’s helped me into his truck, even though he knew I didn’t need his assistance.

 

“He isn’t the kind of man who won’t ask, but if you’re opposed to it, he’ll respect you for that as well. Talk to him, or maybe you could even ask him? Either way, since you’re mated, we’ll still be family,” she added.

 

The door to the cockpit opened and Jasper rapped his knuckles lightly on the wall to get our attention. “Excuse me, ladies. I just wanted to let you know that we are nearly there; I’d say about an hour before landin’.”

 

“Switch!” Peter called out from the front of the plane. Jasper came up beside me and took my hand as we walked up towards the cockpit.

 

As Peter walked by, he ruffled my hair and grinned before joining Char on the couch.

 

I sat down next to Jasper as he once again took the controls of the aircraft. I opened up the storage compartment and checked reports to see if there was anything new on Phoenix.

 

“Jasper, it looks like a mule made a second appearance this evening and he’s being tailed,” I said as I read the report. I hoped that by tailing this human, we would be able to get some answers, and soon, regarding this Phoenix cartel. “Um, this is a funny thought, but maybe… Have you thought about the possibility of the Phoenix cartel being headed by a supernatural being, maybe a vampire even?” I shook my head and continued quietly, “I mean look at what the Volturi are doing, trying to create addicts so that we could gain feeding grounds. It is probably a more sophisticated method than your history, but it is similar, right?”

 

“No, it isn’t a strange theory and it is a possibility. We won’t rule it out for sure. It would certainly explain how they got organized so quickly and quietly. I just don’t want it to be the only theory, you know? Give Serena a heads up on that theory just so she doesn’t get too close, just in case.”

 

I nodded and looked at the report once again. “That was all the report said. It’s not much, but it is something, right?”

 

“It is. It has to be,” Jasper muttered as he continued monitoring the radio. “Do you want to let them know we’ll be landin’ shortly?”

 

I nodded and sent an e-mail to Serena to give her a heads up. I sent another one to Carina, the new secretary at Volterra to let her know our ETA and that we had cargo on board. I went back to the back of the plane and grabbed my cloak before returning to the cockpit.

 

“We’ll be landing shortly,” I told Peter and Char, who were snuggled on the couch. They both nodded as I walked past them.

 

I threw on my cloak before sitting back down next to Jasper. He smiled and whispered that he was going to change quickly. He showed me which controls to monitor and said it would only take a couple minutes.

 

I looked out into the vast land down below and once again hoped that we'll get some answers once we got there. I looked down at my cloak and smiled as I thought back to the day I received it and how I decided to further my skills by being part of the Elite Corps. How different this was now. I was a little unsure what this would all mean now that Jasper and I were mated. I certainly didn't want to be apart from him and I knew he felt the same.

 

His sent me his calm emotions before he entered the cockpit. I smiled as he bent down to kiss my neck and then looked him over. Jasper had put on some dark jeans, his boots, a snug t-shirt, and... _oh fuck_.

 

"Is that a Stetson, cowboy?" I asked breathlessly.

 

"Yes, ma'am," he said giving a knowing smirk as he sat back down. He took off his hat and plopped it on my head before putting on his radio headset.

 

I tipped his hat back at him and then threw it over my face as I leaned back and propped my legs up onto the window on the side. I heard Jasper chuckling at my pose.

 

"Hold it right there, darlin'. I need this picture of you."

 

I laughed underneath the hat and waited a few more seconds before sitting back up. Jasper got the plane lined up for descent and I placed his hat behind me on a hook before putting on my headset.

 

"Wanna help me land her, Isabella?" he asked as the city lights below became brighter. I could already see the lights outlining the runway, even though we were still a couple miles from landing.

 

"Really?" I responded. "That would be so cool! You'll help me, right?"

 

"Yep, I sure will," he answered.

 

With his help, I managed to land the plane smoothly and let out a cheer as I brought the plane to a slow crawl.

 

Jasper maneuvered the plane into the Volturi hanger before bringing it to a full stop.

 

"Ladies and gentlemen, let's get the fuckin' show on the road," Jasper said over the PA system and we heard Peter and Char laughing as they opened the door.

 

Although the humans at the airport didn't know what we were, they always gave us preferential treatment when it came to clearing our paperwork. They allowed us to stay onboard while they cleared our papers and it always made me wonder if we greased their greedy palms to receive this service. No matter, I didn't mind it and it usually saved us hours.

 

As soon as they welcomed us to Italy, we stepped off the plane and were met by a couple Volturi drivers. Mario greeted us and pointed to the large Suburban that was going to take us to Volterra. Jasper and I next greeted and directed Pierre to the cargo hold. He assured us that the boxes were going to be loaded into the transport van along with our luggage. I was glad Pierre was going to drive the cargo van because he had the unique ability to scramble his thoughts, much like a radar jammer. He was head of transportation for the Volturi and had a reputation of running a tight ship. We told him about the mind reader and he assured us that he'd make damn sure none of his thoughts would be read.

 

I thanked Pierre and walked with Jasper to the SUV. Peter helped Char to the back row and Jasper helped me up to the seat before sitting next to me.

 

As we headed to Volterra, I turned around and asked Peter something that I had been wondering during the whole plane ride. "Peter, how did you manage to keep your mind off of Volterra while we were on the plane?"

 

Peter chuckled, "Well Cookie, we met Eddie once, a couple decades ago when they lived in Canada. We paid a visit to Jasper while the pixiebitch went on some shoppin' trip in Europe. We quickly learned that the child was a nosy and judgemental fucker, so we started fuckin' with his mind by thinkin' perverted thoughts that involved feathers and motor oil."

 

Everybody started laughing at the story and I looked at Peter. "I really don't want to know. Please don't share, Polaroid," I said, scrunching up my face.

 

"Nah, not sharin' that one, that's for damn sure. That is between me, kitten, and the goats that were watchin us," he said with a straight face.

 

We all laughed even harder when Char smacked his head so hard his eyes bugged out. I turned back around and leaned against Jasper. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer to him.

 

"We're almost there," Mario reported and I watched as we headed to the dark tunnel that lead us right to the castle.

 

 

**_  
_ **


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I'd like to thank my PreReaders – JaspersBella, SparklingFae and JaspersWoman – thank you for all the feedback. To DarkNNerdy, my sounding board – thanks wify, you're always there to listen or offer advice. I really appreciate that. To my wonderful betas – Mynxi and HeavyInfinity – thank you so much.

**_Chapter 15_ **

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**_SONGS:_ **

**_Busted – The Black Keys_ **

**_Dogs of War – Pink Floyd_ **

****

**JPOV**

Isabella was fuckin’ nervous as hell as the Suburban sped down the tunnel leading to the castle. The dark tinted SUV felt so official that I half expected sirens or flashing lights of a motorcade to accompany us during the ride. I was glad they had someone like Pierre to drive the van with Eddie and Tanya; his radar scrambling ability would really piss someone like Eddie off and I smiled as I imagined that spoiled brat having a fit. It was a good thing we threw Tanya’s head in there. I chuckled to myself as I thought of some of the ways Tanya must have kept him company for all those hours in the cargo hold.

 

It gave me a warm feeling watching Isabella and Char talk and laugh during our flight. Char was pretty surprised when Isabella nicknamed her Gunpowder. Even without my gift, I could see it meant a lot to her. I wasn’t sure what the girls were talkin’ about, but Isabella seemed relieved after that last conversation they had before we landed.

 

I know Peter was pretty damn happy about it too. Despite the fact that he could be a crazy fucker most of the time, he really and truly cared for and adored Char. While they girl talked, we got caught up on a few things of our own and just did our usual bullshitting. That is, until he got that snapshot near the end of the flight. It was probably one of the strangest snapshots he ever had, but I was happy he had it. He saw me at some jewelry shop somewhere in Italy and I was pickin’ something out for Isabella. After his snapshot, he had that tired look on his face again so he asked for a switch and I brought Isabella back to the cockpit with me to land the plane.

 

I held onto her and sent her doses of calm as the Suburban slowed down. I knew she was concerned that we’d somehow be separated because of her obligations to the Volturi. I vowed that I’d never leave her and I fuckin’ meant it. At worst, she would get relocated back here and I could sign a long term lease on the villa that I’ve rented and stay with her. It was actually two houses located on the same property, so my brother and sister could have their own privacy. Whatever happened, I would make sure we’d be together.

 

Two more guards in their trademark Volturi hooded robes were awaitin’ our arrival. I pulled my hat a little lower as they opened the door and I got out. I offered Isabella my hand and she grabbed onto it as she stepped down, only to run, squealing with laughter, into the arms of one of the women who greeted us.

 

“Brickhouse! I missed your crazy ass,” she yelled, picking up Heidi and twirling her around before doing the same to a more petite girl who had to be Jane. “Voodoo! I missed you too!”

 

The three laughed and then looked up, seeing me along with my siblings. I could see the curious look they had as well as some fear when they saw the scars on my arms. I could feel that they both wanted to ask Isabella about me and my family so I remained quiet to see where this was goin'. Given the crazy phone calls I have heard from them, I figured it would be interesting to say the least.

 

Heidi was the first to get enough courage to speak up.

 

“Who is that fine specimen of a man, Riot?” she whispered. I wasn’t sure if she meant for me to hear or what, but I heard her loud and clear.

 

“Have you been drinking?” Isabella asked suspiciously. I could definitely smell some alcohol coming off of them.

 

“Shhh, nobody is supposed to know,” whispered Jane. “Well, maybe just a little, but we’re sobering up.” She shrugged.

 

“Alright. Well, you’ll know sooner or later. This is Jasper, my mate,” she said to her inebriated sisters.

 

“Holy shit, sis! You tapped that?” Heidi exclaimed.

 

I tried not to chuckle as Isabella slapped her hand over her sister’s mouth and looked at me, mouthing out ‘sorry’. I winked at Isabella and walked up to her, placing my hand on the small of her back.

 

I tipped my hat and smiled at Heidi and Jane. I could tell, even in their drunken state, that they loved Isabella and she had strong sibling love for them as well. They were fun and lively. I was lookin’ forward to gettin’ to know them. They were looking at me with their mouth's wide opened so I figured I’d turn up the charm just a little bit more. I gave Isabella a kiss on her cheek before introducing myself. “Jasper Whitlock. This is my brother Peter and his wife Charlotte.”

 

“Jasper Whitlock? _The_ Whitlock?” Heidi asked loudly. Her eyes were wide as she looked me over again and I could feel the shock coming off of all them as they continued to stare.

 

Isabella wrapped her arm around my waist and looked up at me with a huge smile. I could feel her love flow through to me and I sent her my love and her eyes glistened with joy. I guess we got caught up in our world once again until we heard her sisters gigglin’.

 

“Awww,” they said in unison, causing Peter and Char to laugh hard.

 

“Yeah, they’re lovebirds,” Peter said with a grin.

 

Pierre showed up and pulled up neatly right next to the Suburban. Another group of Volturi guards appeared and started to unload the metal boxes. I walked over to Pierre and explained that our luggage was to go to our rental property and gave him the address.

 

I heard a radio squawk and Jane quickly responded into her wrist unit that she was escorting us up.

 

She took a deep breath and smiled.

 

“Buzz is almost gone,” she said and breathed a sigh of relief. “Come, we’ll take the scenic route, it will help sober us up a little more,” she said and winked.

 

Isabella held onto my hand as we followed Jane and Heidi, with Peter and Char behind us. We walked through a dark and dank tunnel as Jane apologized about the smell. She explained that torrential rains the week before had nearly flooded the ancient tunnel and they were lucky it wasn’t destroyed. As the tunnel veered upwards, there was a noticeable change in temperature as we approached an old wrought iron door. Jane punched a set of numbers on the side, the door opened with a small hiss, and we stepped through the doorway and into a cavernous room. A single heartbeat signaled to us that there was a human here and as we stopped by her desk, Jane introduced us to Carina, their secretary. We nodded our greeting and followed Jane to an elevator located behind a painted screen.

 

Heidi explained there was a larger elevator that she used when she brought the “meals” up but this one was definitely nicer and meant for guests. Isabella had a death grip on my hand as the elevator door opened and we walked down a corridor and into the throne room. I was sending her a steady stream of calm as I took note of the three kings in front of me and a few guards behind us. One of the three brothers saw us and I felt recognition and understandin’ from him while the other the two leaders observed us. They seemed a little amused as a side door opened and several guards stacked the metal boxes neatly on a stone table in front of the three.

 

I felt annoyance, confusion and horror comin’ off one of the metal boxes and sent some fear and terror at it, which resulted in some muffled sobs and screams from inside. The audience chuckled at the sound.

 

Jane, Heidi and Isabella faced the kings, saluted, and bowed.

 

“Isabella, welcome back, my dear. I see you have brought guests,” said one of the kings.

 

I assumed that was Aro and the other two were Marcus and Caius.

 

Isabella cleared her throat and introduced Peter and Char, who bowed before the leaders.

 

“And this is Jasper Whitlock, your majesties,” Isabella said. Their eyes widened and I felt their awe, as well as some fear, at the mention of my name. I removed my hat and gave them a bow before puttin’ it back on.

 

“Mr. Whitlock, the former major from the American Southern Wars. It is good to finally meet you in person,” the king said. “My name is am Aro, and these are my brothers, Marcus and Caius.” At the mention of their names they raised their hands slightly. “Now, Isabella has probably told you that I am able to read your mind with a touch of your hand. I wonder if you would permit me?”

 

I didn’t have anything to hide and gladly shook his hand. I felt more awe and surprise before he let go.

 

“Mr. Whitlock, it seems I can only get snippets of your thoughts, mostly of your early memories. I see you believe that my former friend Carlisle and his family might have been hiding something, something important enough that they attempted to suppress you?” Aro smiled and I could feel he was curious himself.

 

“Yes, sir. We need to find the truth and we hope you’re able to help us,” I explained as I walked up to the stone table.

 

“Excellent!” Aro exclaimed, clapping his hands together in anticipation.

 

I knew which box held the heads right away and opened the steel box to reveal the animal cage that we had thrown them in back at Forks. The audience roared in laughter as we saw lipstick marks all over Eddie’s face. Apparently, Tanya must have kept him busy for hours.

 

“Bella! What is going on? Where are you, love?” Edward’s head yelled out, his eyes darting around. “You’re in danger, love! I need to rescue you.”

 

I set the animal cage back on the table and stepped back in time to see Isabella roll her eyes at the sound of the boy’s head. I was ready to unleash my fury if either of them tried to do anything funny.

 

“Why, what have we here?” Aro exclaimed. I could feel how fuckin’ giddy he was at seeing the two heads. “Guards, kindly remove the female.”

 

“Bella, love, I need to save you. I’m your mate! Jasper isn’t yours, I am! Bella!!!” Edward yelled.

 

“SILENCE, you insolent child!” Aro commanded sternly. He looked at Jane who sent pain straight at Edward’s head, causin’ him to whimper through his clenched teeth.

 

I watched as a couple guards opened the animal cage and grabbed Tanya by the hair in order to set her down on the table in front of Aro. The king took a sniff and made a face, and I heard Isabella snicker at the sight of that.

 

“Name?” Aro asked and unlike the way he spoke to us, there was a clear sense of cold authority in his voice as he questioned the succubus.

 

“Tanya Denali,” she purred out.

 

He pressed his finger on her forehead for a few seconds and then moved it away. He smiled at our group and wiped his finger on his robe.

 

“The succubus isn’t giving me much in terms of thoughts or memories. Her distinct thoughts at the moment are to pursue young Cullen here and other similar vapid thoughts. She’s even tried to convince Mr. Whitlock and Isabella that she is involved with young Edward,” Aro explained. “Isabella, I see the memory of the words she said to you and I see the way you took care of things.” He started to pace around and sighed. “Guards! Remove her from here. I believe the rest of the boxes will contain parts?” He looked at me and Isabella with laughter in his eyes and I nodded. “Put her back together and send her to the dungeon for now. I’ll interrogate her again later. Perhaps her mind will be more cooperative after she’s fed. Heidi, my dear, perhaps you might find some clothing for the succubus? Nothing fancy.”

 

Heidi nodded and quickly excused herself from the room.

 

Two minutes later, the body parts were separated and the Tanya parts were escorted the throne room.

 

“Now then, Jane, come here for a minute while the guards remove the other head,” Aro said as he stepped back towards the stone table. “I’d ask you, Mr. Whitlock but you’re a guest and I do not wish to impose.”

 

I tipped my head and nodded his direction. “Sir, it is no problem at all. Perhaps I can be the secondary source of pain if Ms. Volturi would like some assistance?” I looked at Jane and she nodded back at me. I could feel the happiness, fondness and the beginnings of brotherly love for me and I couldn’t help but smile.

 

“Fair enough,” Aro agreed, turning to watch as the guards removed Edward from his cage.

 

The boy looked around with those wild eyes again and tried to snarl as the guards crashed his head down roughly onto the stone table.

 

“Bella, love, I need to save you! You’re in danger!” the head continued bellerin’.

 

I turned to look at Isabella and she just continued to roll her eyes. Disgust rolled off of her in thick waves but she was hopeful we could get to the truth. I squeezed her hand as Aro approached the table.

 

“Ah, young Cullen. Carlisle had told me about you; you’re the mind reader. Well, my gift is similar to yours, but much more comprehensive.” As earlier, I watched as he placed a single finger onto Edward’s forehead and took in the information. Shock and fury flowed strong though Aro when he was done reading Edward’s thoughts.

 

“Assemble him and throw him in the dungeons,” Aro demanded. “This one goes to solitary and only one small animal is to be given to him so he can heal. This meeting is adjourned.”

 

We watched as the guards came back up and grabbed the head along with the rest of the boxes before leaving.

 

“What’s going on? Let me go! I need to save my mate. Bella! Love!” continued the crazy head as he was being whisked away.

 

Aro looked up at Peter and Char. “My apologies, Mr. Peter Whitlock. You and your wife can retire for the evening. A driver can take you back to where you need to go. Thank you for joining us. My brothers and I need to confer with Mr. Whitlock and Isabella. I promise you, no harm will come to them. We simply need to talk in private. I hope you’ll understand.”

 

I didn’t feel any sign of maliciousness coming off of Aro or the two other leaders so I nodded to Peter and Char and sent them reassurance that we’d be fine. Isabella reached over gave them each a quick hug. Peter nodded back and reached for Char’s hand before he turned and bowed to the kings.

 

Once they were gone, Jane was sent to watch the dungeon guards, leaving only Bella, myself, and the three leaders. They all got up, stepped down from their thrones, and motioned us to follow them. I put my hand on the small of Isabella’s back as we walked together out of the room.

 

We were led to a small room with a conference table in the center. Aro motioned for us to sit down. There was a knock on the side door as a young vampire appeared with a couple pitchers of blood and glasses. Caius thanked her and brought them to the table, motioning for us to help ourselves. I poured out a glass for each of us and handed one to Isabella.

 

I took a sniff and was relieved it was the cocktail I was now accustomed to. Isabella had given me a taste of pure bagged blood and the mustiness, while it would do in an emergency, was really too much for my senses.

 

“I see Isabella has spilled the secret of our new drink,” chuckled Marcus as he raised a glass at both of us and winked. I had heard that his gift was the ability to see bonds and he must have seen something between us, because he was givin’ off some smug vibes, like someone who knew a secret and couldn’t wait to reveal it.

 

“Yes, sir,” Isabella replied. “You should have seen his face at first; must have thought I was going to feed him rat poison or something.” She turned to me and winked.

 

“Forgive me for the abruptness,” Aro began. “I didn’t want an audience as I tell you what I discovered. In here, there are no pretenses of hierarchy or rank. Feel free to be at home and speak your mind, because we will do that as well.”

 

“Aro, quit with the endless, flowery speeches, will you? Just spill it, brother,” Caius said irritably as he downed his glass.

 

Aro sighed and swirled the contents of his glass around. I could feel him gather his strength to explain what happened as shock, regret and betrayal radiated out of him.

 

“Well, it seems, Mr. Whitlock, that you and Isabella weren’t the only ones who have been betrayed by the Cullens,” Aro explained. “Part of the reason you were purposefully controlled in such a manner was to keep you from learning of Carlisle’s dirty little secret. The boy’s mental capacity has been reduced. His memories are a garbled mess and I didn’t get as clear a picture as I normally would.” Aro paused to look at Isabella. “They weren’t fuzzy like the first time I saw your memories either, they are just... garbled. Hopefully as he heals, it will help us to continue working with him.”

 

I nodded and drank my glass.

 

“You were correct in thinking that they tried to suppress you, Mr. Whitlock,” Aro continued.

 

I put my hand up. “Please, if there are no pretenses in here, call me Jasper or Whitlock. I don’t need the ’mister’,” I said. The kings all nodded in acceptance.

 

“Well then, Jasper, part of the reason for keeping you under control in such a manner was because Carlisle was trying to figure out a way to reverse the effects of being a vampire. He used his medical knowledge to his advantage and for nearly seven decades he conducted secret studies and tests to find a way to go from being a vampire back to being a human again.”

 

“What?! That has got to be some of the strangest shit I’ve ever heard,” muttered Isabella. I reached down to give her knee a quick squeeze and sent her some comfort. “Shit, sorry.” She looked up and I could feel embarrassment coming off of her as she apologized for her sudden outburst.

 

“Nonsense, Isabella. I agree with your thoughts as well,” confided Caius as he refilled his glass and chugged the contents down again. “Now, brother, did you happen to see why Whitlock here was being kept in the dark?”

 

Aro grimaced and nodded. “As we all know, Carlisle had a penchant for turning those who were on the verge of death and therefore, this was a way he thought he could give them a second chance to a life they all wanted, a fresh start, if you will. Of course, Jasper, you and your now deceased wife came into their family after you were changed, but since the seer had no recollection of her memories, it must have been easy to convince her of this new life and goal. You, on the other hand, were the only one that never felt the shame of being a vampire. You accepted this life and for that, they kept you in the dark.”

 

I was shocked by the revelation, as was the entire table, it seemed. “Is somethin’ like that even possible? To go from bein’ a vampire back to bein’ mortal and human?”

 

Aro shook his head. “It is highly unlikely. I’ve been conducting my own research on blood, mainly to see if I can artificially replicate it as a secondary food source or a supplement, which is why we have so much of the bagged stuff. While I don’t think we’ll ever run out of humans, in the event of some disaster or war, I want to make sure there is a supply...” He shook his head. “That’s neither here nor there. Somehow, he was convinced it could happen and they could once again lead happy lives as humans. They saw you as a threat to their plans and decided to use your true nature and desire for the human diet to their advantage.”

 

Marcus and Caius shook their heads in disbelief.

 

“Crazy animal drinkers,” Caius muttered.

 

“When Carlisle was destroyed,” Aro said as he got up and started to pace around, “it seems the Cullen boy decided to follow in his father’s footsteps, but he’s taken the research in a slightly different turn. Where Carlisle used mostly donated blood or blood from dying patients, the boy seems intent on using young, healthy, humans.”

 

“Young humans? As in children?” Isabella asked.

 

“Not exactly children. It seems they are probably around his age at the time of his change,” Aro said, looking around at us all. “This piece of memory was most garbled. I am not sure if it even makes sense, but I saw that he wants them to be pure and untouched because he believes that blood that is unsullied is the key to giving him his mortality back.”

 

_No fuckin’ way._

Isabella grabbed my hand. “Jasper, you don’t think... Phoenix?” Isabella whispered.

 

I felt curiosity from the kings as I looked at Isabella and then back at the men.

 

“It could make sense and there might be a common thread,” I began. “As you know, we’re monitoring the cartel known as Phoenix and have discovered that they like to use teenagers as their mules.” I then proceeded to give the group a rundown on the Phoenix cartel and what we’ve discovered so far, includin’ the part about how they couldn’t have sexual contact. I even added our recent theory that the group was run by someone or a group of folks who weren’t human.

 

“Hmm, interesting theory, indeed,” muttered Caius as he stared intently into his glass. “I think we can continue to keep that as a theory until it is proven otherwise. I too, agree that it is an unusual criteria for becoming a drug mule, but you aren’t going to give up on your investigation just because of an insane head, are you?”

 

I swear, if Isabella hadn’t told me how he liked to play the role of a hard ass, I probably would have sent him something powerful, thereby gettin’ me into the dungeon. Instead, I shook my head and said emphatically, “I won’t rest until the cartel is destroyed.”

 

Caius nodded and continued to swirl his glass. “So what now?”

 

Aro continued pacing and ran his hand through his hair, clearly agitated. “Well, the succubus might have something to share once she’s fed. Her mind was focused on that damned boy, and believe me, I didn’t want to see those thoughts and memories.” He shot his drink down before slammin’ the glass onto the table. “If she doesn’t have anything useful, well,” he shrugged, “it isn’t like she can be a guard being broken like that and we have no use for a succubus in the castle.”

 

“I’ll try to interrogate young Cullen again as well, after he’s had some blood. Stupid animal drinker,” Aro muttered under his breath.

 

I felt his disappointment and assumed it had to do with his former friend, Carlisle.

 

“Dammit!” he yelled and threw the crystal glass against the wall, leavin’ red splatters and shards of broken glass. “I feel like it is my fault somehow because I told him about my own studies.” He sat down and buried his face in his hands.

 

“Aro, calm yourself, brother,” Marcus chastised. “It isn’t your fault and you know this. You didn’t force him to conduct these studies; he chose to do so out of his own power and sick sense of humanity. His research was completely different than ours.” Marcus shook his head. “To try to reverse the effects of being a vampire... utterly shameful.”

 

“Forgive me, I lost my head there. It is just... I felt at one time we were brothers, even with our different diets. And learning this, I feel personally betrayed.” Aro had his head down and was tracin’ some random pattern on the wooden table.

 

I decided to send him a quick shot of calm and he looked up and nodded his gratitude as it reached him.

 

“Since we don’t know any more on that subject...” Aro began and grabbed another glass before staring directly at us.

 

I could feel he was trying to tread carefully. I reached over and moved Isabella’s chair closer to me as I felt her nervousness.

 

“Jasper, I got glimpses of your life from the Cullen boy's head. I had no idea they tried all this time to send you hunger and then punish you for reacting. I had no idea the man I once thought of as another brother would do such a thing. Or better yet, would allow for it to happen, especially with his whole ’humanity’ angle. I just feel like I didn’t know him as I thought I did,” he muttered. “Even the last time he was here, which was about two decades ago, he talked about how wonderful his whole family was; how well they were behaved, mild mannered and civilized! Damn him!”

 

“Aro, if you break another one of those Baccarat glasses, I’m going to make sure Heidi gives you geriatrics for your meal,” warned Caius.

 

“Caius, if you do, I’ll make sure you get one of those muumuu wearing tourists that smell funny,” hissed Aro.

 

I felt Isabella’s amusement as we watched the two brothers banter with each other. I thought it reminded me of how Peter and I acted. Marcus saw us and winked before moving his chair closer to us.

 

“Your bond is quite strong. I could see it the moment you two walked in,” Marcus said.

 

Meanwhile, the other two continued their banter as we watched them.

 

“Oh don’t mind them,” Marcus said as he waved them off with a hand. “I see this go on so often, it is an old hat. Literally. They have been doing this for ages now. For several centuries, in fact. Jasper, I am truly sorry your former family did that to you and while I am not sure what Aro saw from that child, I can guess it had to do with the two of you.” He took a deep breath before continuing. “I guess I need to tell you both something which may or may not make sense. First of all, Jasper, has Isabella talked to you about the birthday party and the aftermath?”

 

Isabella nodded. “I did. I had nothing to hide, especially after what he told me about that family,” she spat out. “They tricked him into wanting to bite me, but we’re convinced he wouldn’t have because it was just a drop of blood. Besides, I was the boy’s singer.”

 

“That you were, Isabella,” Aro replied as he sat back down while Caius slid into his chair and poured out some blood for all of us.

 

“Excuse the interruption. As Marcus hinted, it is our way of just letting loose a little bit after having to uphold the pretense of being royalty,” muttered Caius, although I could feel amusement comin’ off of him. “That and our mates have both said that it helps us leave our work behind for the day. They rarely attend official meetings unless it is a party,” he explained quickly.

 

“Yes, you were his singer and they used that to their advantage, from what I saw,” Aro looked up at us and gave a small, almost apologetic smile before he continuing. “The boy had a memory of one of the seer’s visions before the birthday party. Isabella was a vampire but, her eyes weren’t golden, nor were they the newborn bright red.”

 

Isabella snorted at that remark and muttered, “Crazy golden-eyed vampires.”

 

“Isabella,” chuckled Aro. “You might have a point about animal blood versus human blood. We should study it to see if there might be something that could affect the mind; toxicity levels and whatnot. Perhaps I should dedicate a team to that?” He shook clear of his thoughts. “Sorry, I was an alchemist back in my human days, so research and science continues to be fascinating for me,” he admitted sheepishly. “We’re learning so much. I just wish I could preserve its flavor for more than half a decade,” he said, lost in thought once again.

 

“Brother, focus,” Caius said as he tossed a crumpled piece of paper straight at Aro.

 

Aro dodged the ball and glared at Caius before continuin’, “Now, back to this vision. You were about to expose them for something,” Aro continued as he tapped his finger on his chin as though he was tryin’ to figure things out. “The seer wasn’t clear as to what the reason was, so the mind reader didn’t know, other than you’d be a threat and it involved Jasper. We can probably all assume, given what we have learned so far, that it probably had to do with Carlisle’s studies.” Aro shook his head again when he mentioned that name. “What I did see was that you, Isabella, threatened to send them all to Volterra for what they did. Because of this vision, they made the decision to use Jasper to attack you on your birthday, thereby eliminating the threat. You see, Isabella, if he attacked you because he was exposed to blood, they figured they could abandon both of you and move on with their lives without threats of exposure.”

 

I shook my head and pulled Isabella onto my lap. I couldn’t believe all those years. Fuck, decades I was with them, that they had this all planned to keep me in line. I closed my eyes as I breathed in Isabella’s scent in an effort to clear my thoughts. I smiled as I felt her love flow to me and I gave her a brief kiss behind her ear before sending my love back to her, leaving us once again lost in our little world.

 

Aro looked at us and whispered, “Mates?”

 

Marcus nodded and replied, “Bonded mates. It is strong. Stronger than before.” He held his hand out to Aro and we watched as his eyes widened at us. He was surprised but also pleased.

 

I looked up at Marcus in confusion. This was my first time ever meeting the three leaders of our world so I had no idea where the ‘before’ came from.

 

“Before?” I asked the room.

 

Marcus cleared his throat, “Yes. Before I explain that, I guess I should explain how my gift works.”

 

“You guess? Come on Marcus, we all know you love to talk about your gift whenever possible, big brother,” chuckled Caius, causing his brother to glare at him.

 

I’ll admit I never would have expected our leaders to carry themselves so differently when they didn’t have an audience. It was nice to see, and it made them more real.

 

“Now where was I?” Marcus took a deep breath as he ignored his brother. “I am able to see bonds between couples, groups, families, and so on. I can also see the strength of the bond as well. For example, we three have a strong brotherly bond, but both Aro and Caius have equally strong bonds to their mates. My mate and I once had a bond, but her missions required her to break them constantly before... before she was destroyed altogether one day.”

 

Isabella gasped. “Victoria was your mate? I... I didn’t know! I am so sorry.”

 

Marcus nodded, “I hated that she kept destroying our bond but she loved being part of the Elite Corps. She thrived at it and I couldn’t deny her a damn thing. Besides, she was a spy before we were mated. Chelsea was only doing her job when would she break and mend them over and over again. It broke me seeing her like that because I still felt a small connection to her even if she didn’t. Over time though, the constant breaking and mending of her bonds started to destroy her; the very essence of who she was, and thereby our bond, grew weaker and weaker. She was no longer my beautiful, vibrant Victoria. She became a shell of a person. And then, on the last mission, something happened and she was discovered. I do miss her, but no longer in a way that a true mate would miss their other half.”

 

Isabella held onto my hand and I sent her comfort.

 

“Sorry about the sidetrack,” Marcus said softly. “I see bonds like colorful ropes, so a person could have different colors representing different bonds. In the beginning, I used to think the colors meant something, but it doesn’t, it just helps distinguish the bonds. What matters is how deep the bond is. The ropes are more opaque for stronger bonds. Weaker bonds are more translucent. The colors never change, other than the opacity. Humans have them too, but usually the ropes are not as thick. Imagine an Ethernet cable versus ropes used to tie ships to moorings. That would be the best analogy.”

 

I felt some nervousness as Marcus paused before continuing.

 

“You see, when Isabella first came to Volterra, there was a strong rope coming from her. I saw the ones she had with Jane and Heidi so that was easy to recognize, but this one was strong especially for a human. It was probably a little larger than an Ethernet cable and it was half way between opaque and translucent. After her change,” he looked at Isabella. “Sorry, after your change, the rope was still there but didn’t get larger or more opaque; it was just there. We knew it wasn’t because of your family after your mother had that most unfortunate accident,” he tsked and gave us a wink. “It wasn’t until tonight when you walked in together that I saw the rope had grown and was now opaque, vibrant and stronger than before. You see, it seems, you two had a strong mates bond all along.”

 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you betas - HeavyInfinity and Mynxi  
> PreReaders – JaspersBella, SparklingFae and JaspersWoman  
> Wify – DarkNNerdy you rock with your Google-fu, endless fun chats and your endless support. FLOVE YOU WOMAN!!!!
> 
> As always, I don't own this. SM does. This Jasper and Bella own me though. Or is it my kittens, Floyd and Puck? I think the latter.

**Chapter 16**

****

**_Songs:_ **

**_MK Ultra – Muse_ **

**_Silent Lucidity - Queensryche_ **

****

**BPOV**

I didn’t know what to expect when we followed the Kings into their chambers. I certainly didn’t think Jasper and I would be drinking blood with them and talking to them as though we were all long lost friends.

 

Wow, who would have guessed that Carlisle would have such a crazy, creepy secret? It made sense, given how the Cullen family always acted like they were holier than thou though. I guess in a way, his humanity bullshit was just that… bullshit. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree either. Fucking Edward; of course he’d want to follow in his father’s footsteps. What the hell was his role in the Phoenix cartel? I was glad Jasper wasn’t going to close out the Phoenix Cartel mission. We needed to get to the bottom of things first.

 

Edward. Why the fuck does he keep talking about saving me? Is it his obsession with finding mortality again? Was it his way of achieving humanity and finding his soul? I wondered if Aro would be able to get answers from that boy.

 

Whatever Aro saw with Edward's memories of Alice's vision was interesting to say the least. Whatever I was going to do to the Cullens, Alice saw me as a supposed threat because I was a human drinking vampire. Could they have actually cast the die because of their actions by hatching the plan to have Jasper attack me on my birthday? I snorted my displeasure and tried not to get upset as Aro continued to explain the visions he saw from Edward that involved Jasper.

 

Jasper reached over and pulled me onto to his lap. I breathed in the scent of him and smiled, thinking how much I loved this man. I felt his lips on that spot behind my ear and then felt his love wash over me. I listened to the leaders talk about us being mates, but was confused when Marcus said something was stronger than before.

 

I listened as he explained his gift and then... wait. What? He was mated to Victoria?!

 

_No fucking way!_

“Victoria was your mate? I... I didn’t know! I am so sorry,” I said. I was shocked.

 

I held onto Jasper as Marcus talked about how her missions eventually broke their precious bond. It saddened me to think something like that was possible. I couldn’t imagine the feeling of losing Jasper or not recognizing him as my other half. We hadn’t been together for very long, but I couldn’t imagine ever being without him and his love.

 

“You see, when Isabella first came to Volterra, there was a strong rope coming from her. I saw the ones she had with Jane and Heidi so that was easy to recognize, but this one was strong especially for a human,” Marcus began. I listened as he described how he saw this bond of mine when he first met me.

 

I had no idea I had such a strong bond back then, but who was the bond with? Could it have been Jasper? Did it change after my change? Fuck, what if it wasn’t him? That would be so fucked up for us.

 

_Positive thoughts._

Marcus continued his explanation, “It wasn’t until tonight when you walked in together that I saw the rope had grown and was now opaque, vibrant and stronger than before. You see, it seems, you two had a strong mate's bond all along.”

 

_Mates from the beginning?!_

That fucking shocked the hell out of me. I looked around, first at the leaders and then at Jasper. His jaw was clenched and his eyes were squeezed shut as though he was in pain. I brushed my fingertips against his cheekbones. “Hey, we have each other now,” I whispered. “That is the important thing, cowboy.”

 

Jasper held my hand against his face and kissed it. “I am so fuckin’ sorry about all that, Isabella,” he whispered. “I know I had no control over all that but I still feel awful. I could have...”

 

“Shh,” I replied. I didn’t know what he could have done that would have been different. “The present and future are ours. All ours.”

 

I looked around and noticed the leaders looking at us. “Oh, sorry,” I said, looking down sheepishly.

 

“Nonsense, we understand young love,” explained Aro. “We’ve all been there when we found our bonded mates.”

 

“Jasper, Isabella, if I may?” Marcus cut in. “I need to speak to you in private, Isabella. Jasper, please, no need to worry. She can share this with you afterwards.”

 

I nodded and kissed Jasper before standing up. I followed Marcus as we exited the chamber and headed down the hall to the library. Once we got there, he motioned for me to sit down so I chose one of the many leather chairs. He sat on the chair next to me and looked at the fireplace.

 

“Isabella, you remember your change and how it was processed?” Marcus asked.

 

“Yes, I remember and I told Jasper about it already,” I answered, wondering where this was going.

 

“Well, you see, my dear, I had Aro tell you that we were going to use all your blood for research. We used maybe a couple pints of it for his studies. The rest, well, I had my reasons for requesting it.”

 

I wondered if they used my blood for a meal? “I... I don’t understand,” I said.

 

“When I first saw you, I saw that strong bond you had and well, it reminded me of my first mate, Didyme. I guess you can say I was fortunate, or maybe unfortunate, to have been bonded twice to mates; I have never heard of another who has experienced this. When she was destroyed, I was almost broken. But being a leader of our kind, I had to just push that aside and just be. It helped that the bond with my brothers was strong as well. Had it been a weaker bond, I believe Didyme's death would have destroyed me. It wasn’t until I met Victoria one day on the training grounds that I felt alive again. Our time together was short lived but I enjoyed every minute of it except when the bonds were broken. As I mentioned in the other room, the bond, as it repaired over and over, became less opaque, so it was a gradual lessening of the pain. It didn’t hurt as much as before, but it hurt all the same,” he said quietly.

 

“I had no idea when I saw her at Forks after I graduated, that she was your mate,” I admitted.

 

“I know. She was wonderful because she was so down to earth,” he sighed. “She had more fun accompanying Heidi and Jane around than she did with the royal wives. She wasn’t about the pomp and circumstance; she was real and fiery but she also knew her station in life and was able to get along with Sulpicia and Athenodora in public gatherings.” He looked at me and smiled. “Enough about me. The reason I pulled you in here to talk to you was because I had other reasons for obtaining your blood and it had to do with your bond.”

 

“My bond?” I asked.

 

“I didn’t know who it was with or the type of bond it was but I figured by saving it, perhaps you’d like to offer the blood to them one day if given the chance.”

 

“Wait, what? Really?” I was again shocked. “I mean, thank you.”

 

The idea that I had a chance to offer Jasper my blood intrigued me. I was thrilled that I could give him something from my human life. And while the blood didn’t run through me any longer, it was still such a private and intimate thing that I wanted to share it with my mate; my Jasper.

 

“Isabella, I haven’t seen a bond as strong as yours and Jasper’s in a long time and this was something I felt was important,” he said and turned to face me. “I am sorry if I deceived you, but I didn’t think it was something that could easily be explained, especially when we neither one of us knew who the recipient of the bond was. I am just glad you found him so soon, relatively speaking, because it won’t require you to cut it with the grain alcohol.”

 

I smiled, “Thank you so much. I think I want to surprise him with that.”

 

“Of course… it is yours. Is it safe to assume that you’ll be staying with Jasper instead of at the castle?” Marcus asked gently.

 

I nodded. “Yes, if that is alright.”

 

“Yes. You know as a mated pair, you’re no longer obligated to stay at the castle,” he said with a smile. “Now, let’s get back to the others and we’ll deliver it to you. Just let us know when.”

 

We got up and headed back to the chambers. I was happy and couldn’t wait to give Jasper my gift, but I didn’t think tonight was the night. We had received so much news that I thought some downtime was in order.

 

Jasper was sitting there with Aro and Caius. All of them were casually leaning back in their chairs and were telling tales of their pasts. Marcus and I sat on the chairs along the side wall as we observed them.

 

Jasper was finishing his story about his days as a Civil War major.

 

“I was raised to be an aristocratic horseman, being the first son,” Caius said as he swirled his glass and looked up, noticing that we had arrived. “I wanted to be a soldier, but that was my brother’s role as the second son. I don’t remember what my title was, but I wasn’t exactly royalty, just an aristocratic ass who ran into Marcus here and was bitten.” He rolled his eyes at Marcus before lifting up his glass.

 

“I saw some sort of bond between you and me, brother, and had to do it.” Marcus shrugged. “Besides, the members of your family were victims of the pox later on that year and nobody survived.”

 

“Isabella,” Jasper asked as he turned around, “everythin’ alright?”

 

I nodded and smiled.

 

“Well then, Isabella and Jasper, we will leave for the evening,” Aro said, smiling. “We will inform you of any news of young Cullen. In the meantime, will you be continuing your research on this Phoenix team? Do you require a secured line?”

 

Jasper stood up and walked towards me. “Yes, we will continue our research. My laptop is able to encrypt messages and I’ve used it before on the field. It works in a pinch.”

 

“We can set up communications room for your use when you’re here as well,” Aro replied.

 

“Thank you, that would be great,” Jasper said.

 

I reached over and grabbed Jasper’s hand. I was so ready to get out of here and just relax.

 

“Gentlemen, it was nice meetin’ y’all and thank you for talking to us in private. Isabella and I will leave for a villa I’ve rented out and we’ll return in a couple days. I’ll rent us a vehicle in the morning, so if you need us to get here faster, just let us know,” Jasper said as he tipped his hat and took my hand, bringing it to his lips. “Ready, darlin’?”

 

“I am,” I responded before turning around and bowing. “Thank you very much for talking to us.” I smiled as we headed out of the chambers.

 

By the time we got to the throne room, Mario was coming in from a side door. “I have a car that will take you to the villa, Sir. Will Ms. Charles be accompanying you?

 

“Yes, she will,” Jasper responded, squeezing my hand.

 

I shrugged, knowing that Mario was changed during a different era when men made the decisions. Despite the many times Jane had tried to kick his ass, he was still very much old school.

 

“Mr. Whitlock informed me that you would be staying in the other villa on the property when I drove him home with his wife earlier this evening,” Mario continued as we followed him out to the garage.

 

“That is fine and thank you, Mario,” replied Jasper as he looked down at me and winked.

 

We entered the Volturi garage from the side door. It wasn’t really a garage but an old barn converted to house the vehicles in the stalls. The standard SUVs were used so often they were never inside the barn but were always lined up just outside the main double doors. The exotic and rare vehicles that our leaders collected were here along with some of the guards’ favorite rides. Three stories of horsepower. I pointed out a stall that was in the third row as we walked by.

 

“That was where Raven was when I lived here,” I explained quietly and Jasper smiled.

 

We reached the double doors and watched as Mario punched a set of numbers on the panel and the doors opened wide. A black Suburban was parked in the middle of the drive. Mario opened the door while Jasper helped me up before getting into the SUV himself. We sat close together with his arm around me and I leaned against him as we left the walled city and headed out towards the countryside.

 

About 15 miles later, we turned off the main road and watched as Mario punched the access code to the iron gates. The long winding drive forked after we passed a grove of citrus trees and Mario pointed out the house that Peter and Char were at and told us we’d be taking the smaller one which was separated by a man-made lake. When we got to the villa, Jasper and I stared at the monstrosity of the ‘smaller’ house. I wasn’t sure but, I thought it was bigger than that penthouse apartment and our mountain house combined.

 

Both of us waved as Mario pulled away. Jasper wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me into a tight embrace. “You okay?” Jasper asked and I nodded. “C’mon, let’s go inside and put our stuff away. I hear there is a nice pool outside for us.”

 

“Quiet time sounds good, cowboy,” I whispered and we walked inside hand in hand. Our bags were neatly lined up on the foyer floor and we grabbed them as we headed upstairs.

 

We dropped off our stuff in a large bedroom that had a terrace overlooking the pool below, and a view of the sunrise each morning. We changed quickly and grabbed some towels before we walked down the staircase admiring the paintings from modern Italian artists.

The water was still warm from the Mediterranean sun it soaked up during the day. We both dove in and swam around, just playing in the water for a bit. I sank down to the bottom and walked across the pool with my hands at vampire speed. The resistance from the water didn’t phase me but Jasper sending me lust did distract me enough to fall over.

 

We swam over to the hot tub area where it was already nice and steamy. Unlike the grotto back home, this pool was salt water which was nice; the chlorine from regular pools were a little too much for our sensitive noses.

 

I wrapped my legs and arms around Jasper as we held onto each other in the jacuzzi. “What a crazy day and a half,” I whispered against his neck as I kissed along his neck and shoulders.

 

“Fuck, yes it was,” he replied. “So much has happened, some good...” he grinned and kissed my mark,“... and some not so good. Isabella, I am so sorry. If I had known, I would never have let you go, darlin’, and if things still happened the way it did with your father, I would have been there for you.”

 

“Jasper, we cannot change the past but I am so fucking glad we are together now,” I whispered against his lips. “I love you so fucking much. I never want to be put into a situation where I am separated from you or have my bonds broken for the sake of my job. You’re my life, Jasper. I’d be lost without you.”

 

He held me tighter. “And I would never let that happen, I promise you Isabella.”

 

“That was very nice of the kings to talk to us in private like that. I had never seen them really let loose before,” I mentioned.

 

“Well, I felt an underlyin’ thread of fear and awe comin’ from each of them. I guess they were a little intimidated by what they know about me,” he said with a shrug.

 

“Well, regardless, I was glad none of that was revealed to the vast audience. Fuck, that was hard to digest as it was. I mean Carlisle has a deep dark secret and then hides it by pretending to be human? Jasper, they were so careful in being human, they weren’t... they were too perfect.” I grimaced as I recalled some memories. “Humans have faults, but they were just too devoid of anything that would be a flaw against them.” I rubbed his neck and watched as his eyes closes and he smiled. “It definitely made them stand out for sure.”

 

“Mmm, that feels good, babe, thank you,” he murmured. “I tried to tell them once but they said I didn’t know humans the same way they did. I was only capable of lookin’ at them as meals and that was it.”

 

I rolled my eyes and he chuckled as he felt my exasperation over his former family. “They drove me fuckin’ nuts too. But you’re right; I can’t let the past get to me, to us. What did Marcus talk to you about, by the way?”

 

“Oh, we talked about Victoria and bonds. Did you know he has been mated twice?” I asked as I curled up against his chest and kissed his neck some more. I breathed in his scent and immediately started to feel calmer. I wasn’t sure how much I wanted to say because this was something I wanted to give to him as a surprise. Would he be willing to want more in a our relationship? Should I ask him to marry me as Char had hinted? Fuck, I think I am going to need to spend some time with the girls.

 

“Twice? I have never heard of that and where did your mind go just then?” he asked as he ran his fingers through my hair.

 

“Yeah, apparently he’s the only one. We also talked about bonds and the importance of them. The kings have something that I want to surprise you with so I can’t tell you yet. Jasper? Do you think Char would like it if we all did a girls day? The two of us with Heidi and Jane?”

 

“Darlin’ I think she’ll love that. That reminds me, I need to rent a car in the mornin’. Do you have any preferences? Peter’ll get his own so don’t worry about them.”

 

I thought for a moment. “Well, since we’re in Italy, how about a Maserati Quattroporte? Like I said, I like the American muscle cars but you know... when in Rome?

 

“I like that. Maybe we can take a drive down the Amalfi Coast while we’re here? But let’s wait until after we go back to the castle first. You want to go with the girls tomorrow and then I can hang out with Peter?” Jasper asked although I could see he was a little concerned since this would be a true separation for us for a few hours.

 

“Yeah, I want Char to meet my sisters and I think it is a great idea for you to hang out with Peter.”

 

“Hang out with me where, Major?” Peter’s booming voice echoed from the house. “Hope y’all are decent, ‘cause the missus and I are comin’ out.”

 

Jasper and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes before he kissed me hard and we got out of the jacuzzi. We wrapped the towels around us just as Peter and Char walked out hand in hand, each holding a beautifully stained acoustic guitar.

 

“We heard the SUV drive off and thought you’d like some company after a while,” Peter said with a chuckle.

 

“Well, we would have called if we did, fucker,” muttered Jasper. “What’s with the guitars?”

 

I watched as Char handed Jasper the guitar she was carrying.

 

“Y’all refinished it?” Jasper whispered before looking up first at Peter and Char and then at me. “After they rescued me, we lived in Colorado for a while and one late winter afternoon, we were walkin’ around the Springs and saw this in a music store. It was probably the first thing I bought that wasn’t clothes or a car, but somethin’ that was more me... as a human. I had always wanted to play but never had the opportunity. While I was in the army, I bought one a few days before that night.” He had a faraway look in his eyes as he continued the story. “I learned to play it and started to feel better about bein’ a vampire. It was a way for me to temporarily escape the pain of feedin’ off of regular humans, but it only served as a Bandaid for me at that time. When I left Peter and Char, I left it with them. It was still pretty worn the last time I visited them.” Jasper looked up at his brother and sister and smiled. "Thank you for fixin' her up for me."

 

"No problem, Major. Just good to have ya back, is all." Peter replied and gave him a one-arm man hug.

 

I stood up on my toes and wrapped my arms around Jasper. “I’m proud of you, Jasper Whitlock. Now play some music.” I turned, and walked towards Char to sit down on one of the chairs.

 

Jasper started playing something that had a Spanish beat and I leaned back to watch him.

 

“Cookie, what happened to your shoulders?” Char whispered, so I explained to both Char and Peter, who was sitting next to her, about my guard training.

 

Char gasped after my story. “That was part of your training? Wow, you’re one helluva woman, Cookie.”

 

I turned and gave her a hug. “It was just training. The three of you have been through actual war. This doesn’t compare.”

 

Peter and Char both shook their heads.

 

“Nonsense Cookie, you’ve seen what dismemberment can do to people. Now just sit back and enjoy the music.” She patted my shoulder affectionately.

 

“Major, why don’t you and kitten sing that duet that y’all learned when you came back?” Peter asked, pulling Char up to her feet. He gave her a kiss before sitting down in the chair next to mine.

 

“You doin’ alright, Cookie?” Peter asked quietly as we watched as Char adjusted the shoulder strap to the guitar.

 

“I’m alright. It was just a lot of heavy shit, you know?” I replied in the same tone of voice as his.

 

I watched as Jasper and Char strummed the guitars and started to sing.

 

_She put him out like the burnin' end of a midnight cigarette,_

_She broke his heart he spent his whole life tryin' to forget_

_We watched him drink his pain away a little at a time_

_But he never could get drunk enough to get her off his mind. Until the night_

_He put that bottle to his head and pulled the trigger, and finally drank away her memory_

_Life is short but this time it was bigger_

_Than the strength he had to get up off his knees..._

The way they harmonized together was beautiful, but the words were so sad.

 

“I know, I could only imagine,” he said, pointing to our mates. “That song helped get the Major out of his funk when he came back a few years ago. It wasn’t that he felt bad about what he did, he just wished he could have stopped it before it got to that point. So Char heard this song one afternoon and insisted that they sing it together. The beauty of the song, along with our support, helped him through it all. Besides, the song helped him realize there was worse shit to be sad about.” His voice dropped lower. “He’ll like it, Cookie. It’ll mean a lot to him.”

 

I turned and stared at Peter and mouthed out “Snapshot?”

 

He nodded. “I don’t know when, but I saw a glass container.”

 

“Thank you, Peter.” I got up and hugged him. “Thank you for saving him all those years ago and again being there when he needed his family. And don’t say anything to him, about, you know? I want it to be a surprise,” I replied.

 

Peter grinned and pretended to lock his lips up with a key.

 

I sat back down and watched as Char came back and pulled the guitar off of her.

 

“Your turn, and play some Kansas, will ya, sugar?” she asked Peter, running her fingers through his hair.

 

“Yes, ma’am!” He grinned. “Major, go sit with your woman, she’s tryin’ to grope me,” he said, chuckling.

 

I shot him a glare and threw my outer shield at him so he flew into the pool.

 

Jasper looked from Peter to me and started to laugh out loud before reaching over and pulling his brother out. As Peter passed by and grabbed a towel, he shook his wet hair on me before blurring back to the guitar.

 

Jasper walked towards me and must have sent Peter something wicked, because he doubled over and screamed out in pain while clutching his lower abdomen. Jasper got to the empty chair and pulled me into his arms.

 

“That was a beautiful song you and Char played.” I smiled and looked at both of them before wrapping my arms around Jasper’s neck. “What did you send him cowboy?” I asked quietly, my lips touching his collarbone.

 

Jasper chuckled just as Peter began playing ‘Dust in the Wind’. “I sent him some labor pains.” He shrugged and tried to look casual while all of us started laughing.

 

“Jasper, it’s horrible when you do that,” Char said wincing. “It sends shivers down my fuckin’ spine when I see that. I couldn’t imagine,” she continued muttering.

 

I looked at him and tried to picture how he would have seen such a thing.

 

“I had to make an appearance at the hospital back in Canada a few decades ago and as I walked by main check-in area, there was a woman who was carryin’ twins and was about ready to give birth.” He shuddered. “In fact, just as I walked past her, her water broke and that was -”

 

“Y’all shut it! I’m tryin’ to play!” Peter huffed.

 

Jasper flipped him off and pulled me closer to him. I turned my body so I could look at Char.

 

“Char, would you like to hang out with me and my sisters later today?” I asked. “They don’t usually go to the fancy places when I’m with them.”

 

“Sure, Cookie, that sounds fun,” she said with a bright smile.

 

“Hey, Major! How ‘bout somethin’ for the women?” Peter asked.

 

Jasper nodded and kissed me on the lips before getting up and setting me back onto my chair.

 

The guys started to played ‘Hotel California’, ‘Fortunate Son’ and ‘The River’ for us.

 

“Darlin’, it is nearly dawn,” Jasper whispered as he took the guitar off and headed towards me.

 

I nodded and stood up.

 

“What happens at dawn?” Char asked.

 

I gave Char and Peter an abbreviated version of Charlie’s story. After I was done, I got hugs from my new brother and sister. Char whispered how sorry she was for my loss before reaching over to hug Jasper. Peter reached over while still one-arm hugging me and smacked his brother on the shoulder.

 

“Okay, lovebirds, what’s the plan for the mornin’?”

 

“We need to rent a car. I think the gals are goin’ out and I guess we’ll run some errands too,” Jasper replied.

 

“Sounds like a plan. We are gonna go skinny dippin’ out on the lake so don’t come a runnin’ if you hear us.”

 

“Yeah, you don’t have to worry there, Polaroid,” I mumbled.

 

He chuckled as he grabbed Char and his guitar. He tossed her over his shoulder and ran out of the house as her laughter rang in the air.

 

I walked over to get Jasper’s guitar while he grabbed our towels and we headed back into the house and up to our room. I went out to the terrace and placed the guitar there as we took off the wet clothes and slipped on cotton robes.

 

“Will you play the guitar until the sun comes up?”

 

Jasper grinned and set the chaise so we could recline later. He sat up and I faced him as he started strumming his guitar.

 

“Any requests?” Jasper asked quietly.

 

“No, not really,” I replied. “I just like seeing you play. You look so relaxed and comfortable. Even when you were singing that sad song with Char, you seemed so at ease.”

 

“Thank you, darlin’. Char only sings on rare occasions, and it means a lot to me that they were concerned about my wellbein’.”

 

“It was that crossroads thing, wasn’t it?

 

Jasper nodded and started strumming a song I knew and smiled. I usually only sang when I drove. I closed my eyes briefly as I felt the music. I took a deep breath and looked into Jasper’s eyes as I started singing.

 

_It’s amazing how you can speak right to my heart_

_Without saying a word you can light up the dark_

_Try as I may I could never explain_

_What I hear when you don’t say a thing_

_The smile on your face lets me know that you need me_

_There’s a truth in your eyes sayin’ you’ll never leave me_

_The touch of your hand says you’ll catch me if ever I fall_

_You say it best when you say nothing at all_

As the song ended, Jasper looked at me and grinned, setting the guitar down on the side of the chaise and pulling me into his arms.

 

“Isabella, you sounded fuckin’ amazing,” Jasper whispered, kissing my hair. “I fuckin’ love you so much.” He held me tight as he breathed in my scent.

 

“I fucking love you, Jasper.” I looked into his eyes as I brushed the back of my hand across the plane of his cheek. “I love you so fucking much.”

 

Jasper tucked me against his body as we watched sky lighten together. Rain clouds started to form as the sun peeked from behind them. As always, I greeted my dad and assured him I was happily in love with Jasper. I told him how I missed him and how I had an amazing brother and sister now.

 

I reached up and kissed Jasper's lips as he squeezed my hip.

 

“Let’s go inside, darlin’. I need to rent us a car and then we can try the shower,” he whispered as he sat up.

 

I looked at Jasper and smiled as we got up and headed inside. I grabbed my phone and quickly texted Heidi and Jane, telling them that I wanted to hang out with them and with Char later that morning for a girl’s day. They both replied yes and said we could meet at 9. The forecast called for a rainy day so we didn’t have to fully cover ourselves. I sent a text to Char, letting her know the plans, and tossed the phone onto the bed.

 

Jasper was still on the phone, speaking in fluent Italian to a rental car agency. I came up behind him, wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my cheek against his broad back. He was trying to get them to deliver the car to the property. I didn’t want to disturb him so I ran around and checked out the rest of the house.

 

I went down stairs and into the kitchen, opening up the fridge to see if we had some blood bags. Peter and Char must have stocked us up when they showed up. I got everything I needed to get our drinks ready. I kept thinking that all the tumultuous events and revelations had happened in less than 48 hours. Shaking my head, I thought that maybe we shouldn’t have gone to Forks, but I smiled as I felt the mark on my neck, knowing that even with the bad shit, some good did come out of that trip.

 

Jasper was still on the phone as he came downstairs to the kitchen. He rattled off his bank card number to secure the vehicle and ended his call. He watched as I got everything mixed together. We looked at each other and smiled as I stirred the contents together, and I realized I could probably give him my blood when we went for our Amalfi Coast drive.

 

He grabbed our glasses and pulled me into his arms for a kiss. “Babe, the dealer said they’ll call once they confirmed with the delivery driver, but it looks like we’re getting it delivered this morning. What time are you heading to do your thing?”

 

I smiled and ran my hands down his back. “Heidi and Jane said to meet them at the castle at around 9, so hopefully we can get news one way or another about the car. I can always call for a driver, so it isn’t a big deal. Come on, let’s head upstairs. I saw a nice tub in one of the baths we can use.”

 

I grabbed the pitcher and was turning to head back towards the stairs when Jasper grabbed the belt of my robe and pulled me towards him. A little blood sloshed out of the container and landed on my exposed skin.

 

“Hmm, gives me an idea,” Jasper said and I looked up to see he had a wicked gleam in his eyes.

 

I watched as he put his finger into the pitcher and drew a line from the column of my neck down. I was still holding onto the pitcher when he got off the chair and bent low to lick the blood slowly off of me.

 

I bit my lip as I felt his tongue and breath along my throat and tilted my head, allowing him better access.

 

I grabbed and pulled his hair and kissed him hard. Our kiss deepened and I felt his hand peel my robe off my shoulders. I brushed my fingertips down his exposed chest and rested my hand over his heart. He wound my hair around his fist and pulled my head to the side, exposing my neck to him once again as he laid open mouthed kisses up my neck.

 

“My dirty, naughty minx, you liked that didn’t you?” Jasper whispered against my neck. He slipped the glasses into the pockets of his robe and carried me bridal style out of the kitchen and up the stairs as I held onto the container. “Well, I think we should continue this upstairs.”

 

“Mmm, I did like that, cowboy. Just make sure you clean me up good afterwards.”


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you HeavyInfinity for beta'ing this bad boy.  
> My Pre-Readers JaspersBella, SparklingFae and JaspersWoman – THANK YOU  
> Wify – DarkNNerdy – thanks for the turkey story that morning. You inspired me to incorporate that into this chapter.
> 
> You ladies ROCK!!!
> 
> Thank you readers for all your positive support. I am thrilled you are enjoying this story.
> 
> I still don't own the story... it still belongs to SM. She did say I could have the turkey though :-/.

**Chapter 17**

****

**_Songs:_ **

**_Enjoy the Silence – Anberlin_ **

**_I'm Hell on Heels – Pistol Annies_ **

****

**BPOV**

After we got out of the tub, Jasper and I headed back to the bedroom, where we noticed he had a voicemail from the car rental agency. They confirmed that a dark grey Maserati would be delivered promptly at 8 AM, just fifteen minutes from now. Jasper returned their phone call and gave them the gate access code so they could drive on through.

 

We got dressed and were heading down the stairs when we heard the flatbed truck pull around the circular drive. The car was carefully lowered and I watched as Jasper thanked the men for the short notice and tipped them each with a couple hundred Euros. We waved as the men pulled away and I smiled at Jasper as I reached up and wrapped my arms around him.

 

"What was that for babe? Not that I'm complainin'," he said with a smile and nibbled playfully at my earlobe.

 

"I'm just proud of you. I think you've become more accustomed to being around humans than when you were as an animal drinker."

 

"I feel more at ease now than I ever was and I believe in myself more."

 

I smiled and reached up to brush a lock of hair off his eyes. "I fucking love you, Jasper Whitlock."

 

"And I fuckin' love you, Isabella Charles." I watched him as he glanced at the car and then back at me. "Darlin' when you were human, you hated fancy shit like that, as I recall." He sat down on the marble stairs that led from the driveway to the front door of the villa.

 

I sat down next to him and rested my head on his shoulder. ”I like nice things, I just didn’t like being told what I had to wear and shit like that, you know... from the fucking pixie or Eddie. I was a shy kid and that made it worse when I was the new kid in town whose dad was chief of police. I wasn’t an imbecile and I hated being treated like I was just some sort of dress up doll. I learned, while being on my own and then with Heidi and Jane, to be strong and speak up for myself. I also learned that the Wonder Twins never respected my opinion and tried to bully me in their own way to get what they wanted.”

 

Jasper put his arm around my shoulder and held me closer to him. “That is because they were allowed to do that to all of us. They ruled the roost, so you bein’ human and shy, they saw that and used it to their advantage.” He kissed my hair and chuckled. “I remember feeling your emotions a few times and, babe, you were downright pissed off at them on several occasions.”

 

I laughed. “Damn straight I was. I was glad Assward couldn’t read my mind because there were many times I wished I had a fucking lighter around them.”

 

“Fuck, I love you, Isabella.” He chuckled. “I would have gladly given you mine had you asked.” He winked and nipped my nose.

 

A blonde blur came running up the drive and I realized it was Char. Jasper and I stood up and greeted her with hugs.

 

“Darlin’, here,” Jasper said as he tossed the keys to me. “I’ll see you later, text me if you want. I love you, babe.”

 

“I love you, cowboy,” I said as Char and I got in the car and I started the motor. The engine purred to life and I drove around the driveway to head back towards Volterra.

 

I watched in my rear-view mirror as Jasper's figure got smaller and smaller.

 

"Cookie, you'll be fine. Peter said somethin' about them goin' to Florence which is a couple hours away, right?" Char asked as she looked at me. "We will both be fine."

 

"Well... we're heading to Livorno which is about the same distance from Volterra but in the opposite direction." I looked over and gave her a small smile as I passed the iron entrance gate.

 

"Cookie, we aren't gonna be gone the whole day. It'll be good,” she reassured me.

 

“You’ll feel it too, right?” I asked as I turned onto the main road.

 

“Yeah and so will the guys. But we can keep textin’ them and all,” Char said as she squeezed my shoulder affectionately.

 

“Thank you, it really helps to have someone understand what this all is. Like I said, I wasn’t close to other couples, you know.”

 

Char nodded and smiled. “I understand. You knew them and probably made small talk when you had to, but they weren’t what you’d consider a confidant.”

 

“Exactly.”

 

As I drove back towards the castle, I explained to Char that Heidi was in charge of bringing meals to the kings, their mates and some of the old school guards who would rather have tourist take out rather than an actual hunted meal. Jane was one of the most trusted guards and was a mentor to the new recruits as well as being in charge of the prison.

 

“I’ve heard of Jane. I think next to Jasper, she’s one that most people fear because of her gift and her brother Alec’s,” she said.

 

I laughed, “She does have that reputation and I guess Jasper does too. If she’s comfortable around you though, she’s fucking hilarious. Alec retired from being a guard about a year after my change. He’s still a part of the Volturi, but he’s now running the research lab for Aro. It’s rare for him to be at a battle anymore, unless the kings are present to watch. We tease him that he’s married to his lab,” I replied, pointing to the castle ahead of us.

 

I chose not to use the tunnel this time. I knew the drivers liked to use it when chauffeuring guests and it was more for effect than anything, so I just pulled into the driveway like normal and spotted Heidi’s midnight blue Porsche Panamera parked outside.

 

“Park it in my stall, Riot!” she said as I nodded and steered into the barn.

 

“Of all things holy, if Peter ever gets a load of this place, he’ll never want to leave,” Char whispered.

 

“He’s a motorhead?” I asked, pulling into Heidi’s spot and getting out of the car.

 

“Cookie, that’s an understatement,” Char muttered and rolled her eyes as she shut her door and followed me out to the barn entrance. “We converted our old barn in Texas into a garage similar to this but we don’t have as many levels.”

 

“Maybe if you want to join Jasper and me tomorrow when we come back here, I can have Heidi or Jane give him a tour?”

 

Char smiled and gave me a one-armed hug as we got outside to meet a squealing Heidi and Jane. They both embraced me and they each hugged Char after I reintroduced them to her. They exchanged their spy names with each other and laughed as we all piled into Heidi’s car, with Jane sitting in the front and Char and I in the back. Heidi peeled out of the driveway and before we could even turn onto the main road, Jane turned around with a big grin.

 

“So Riot? You and Whitlock, huh?” she asked and then closed her eyes and started making kissy faces.

 

The entire car was in stitches over Jane’s antics.

 

I glared at her and tried not to laugh before answering, “Yeah, why?”

 

She looked at me wide eyed. “You, my dear, have had the biggest crush on him for ages. I am surprised you didn’t put pink hearts on his dossier, you read it enough. 'I heart Whitlock',” she snickered.

 

“Dammit, Voodoo!” I muttered. I was mortified as I heard Heidi chuckling and Char was doubled over, her shoulders shaking.

 

I seriously considered pushing my outer shield at Jane but changed my mind. The last time I did that, I ruined Heidi’s Audi and she threatened to make me wash all the cars by hand at human speed. Instead, I looked at her and narrowed my eyes before flipping her off. Even though I missed their crazy asses, I really didn’t expect them to carry on like this with Char around.

 

I looked over at her and she had moved her blonde hair over to one side, creating a curtain, but I could see she was still laughing silently.

 

Jane laughed at my gesture and gave it right back to me before she started laughing and then we all joined in. Char fell over on me laughing hard and pretended to wipe her eyes of tears as she listened to our antics.

 

“Sorry, Char. I guess I forgot to explain that we’re a little crazy when we get together,” I said with a grimace.

 

A few minutes later, Jane turned around again, but this time her crimson eyes were serious. “Isabella, seriously though, are you happy?”

 

I reached over and tugged her pony tail. “I am really happy, Janey. He’s a good man.” I smiled and reached over to squeeze Heidi’s shoulder. “I really want you two to get to know him. I hope all of us, Char and Peter included, can get along and who knows... maybe we can be a kickass family.”

 

“Really? So we can visit your sorry ass?” Heidi asked while laughing.

 

“Sorry ass? What the hell, Brickhouse?” I groused.

 

She snorted, “Nothing... shit! You’re the one that’s getting some and you’re still cranky.”

 

“Fuck! You guys are terrible!” I said, burying my face in my hands.

 

“You wanna hear terrible, wait til she tells you what she gave that skanky Denali chick to wear,” Jane whispered dramatically.

 

I peeked through my fingers at Char, who was silently laughing and clutching her stomach, clearly entertained by our conversation.

 

“What did you do to her, Heidi?” I asked.

 

Heidi looked quickly behind before changing lanes. “Well, I got her clothes from the tourist pile,” she said.

 

“No, you did?” I started to laugh.

 

Jane turned back around and giggled as she looked at Char. “We sometimes get tourists who bring extra bags when Heidi brings them to the castle and after we’re done with them, we donate their stuff to charity. But sometimes, we get some stuff that we just cannot throw away,” she explained.

 

“Things like what, sugar?” Char asked.

 

“Oh we have this lovely pink and orange muumuu that we make new guards wear. It has become a rite of passage of sorts.” Jane stared at me pointedly and grinned. “This one here made it an entire ensemble, complete with a fox stole around her neck and one of those hats with a tiny veil on it.”

 

I laughed at that memory. “Hey, I tried to work it. You specifically said to make it memorable, so I did.”

 

“Oh you were memorable alright,” Jane said with a snicker. “She wore it and climbed up to the rooftop before doing a pirouette in front of the kings. We were nervous that we were going to be punished until Marcus started laughing," Jane explained.

 

“So, Heidi, what clothes did you give her?” I asked, smiling because I knew some of that stuff was just horrible.

 

“Remember those hot pink zebra stripe leggings?” Heidi asked. “Well, about two weeks ago, someone had a lime green baby doll dress that just worked perfectly and I had that outfit saved for another drunken Voodoo moment...” Heidi looked over and smirked at Jane. “... but this was even better. That succubus is going to wear an ugly ass outfit. Oh, did I mention the dress is probably three times bigger than what she’d normally wear?” Heidi snickered and once again the car erupted with laughter.

 

“I, uh might have asked the guards who helped her get into the clothes to fix her hair up in a ratty side ponytail too,” Jane deadpanned before bursting into laughter.

 

I shook my head and smiled at their antics. I felt so lucky, now more so than ever, to now have three sisters that were each amazing and fun to hang around with. I couldn’t wait to have all of us hang out as a group. I got the impression that they accepted Jasper, but what if he didn’t accept my sisters? I knew I shouldn’t worry, because I knew that if Jasper felt how happy my sisters have made me and how much they meant to me, he’d accept them. I hated when my insecurities crept in like they were doing right now.

 

We got to the coastal town and Heidi cracked the windows opened a little to let the Mediterranean Sea air in. I shut my eyes, took a deep breath and tried to center my thoughts, knowing we were almost there. I just felt a little off because Jasper wasn’t nearby and for the first time in a long while, I kept my inner shield all the way up and let it cocoon me like it used to.

 

As Heidi pulled into a parking spot she looked up at the sky and grinned. “Fuck yeah! No purple eyes for me today,” she said enthusiastically and shut the engine off. “I hate wearing those damn contacts. Bad enough for the tourists, but especially for shopping days.”

 

My phone buzzed just then and I looked and smiled as I read Jasper’s message. _‘In Florence. Hope you’re havin’ fun darlin. I fuckin’ love you.'_

Heidi and I walked in front of Jane and Char, who were talking about battle stories at a pitch inaudible to the humans passing by as they followed us. Even though Jane probably looked like a typical teenager, she was definitely someone you wanted to have on your side during battle.

 

“Ladies, if you see a shop you like just let us know,” I said quietly as I responded to Jasper. _‘We are in Livorno. Brickhouse and Voodoo are grilling me! :( Char is amused. Cowboy, I fucking love you too.’_

Char must have gotten a message too from Peter because I could hear her typing a message as we walked into the first shop. It was a shop that carried sterling silver jewelry and we started to try things on.

 

I spotted some silver and amber jewelry and tried on a bracelet before I found a matching ring in my size.

 

“Speaking of rings,“ Heidi began as she appeared behind me, “Is he getting you one?”

 

“I don’t know, Heidi,” I admitted. “I wouldn’t want him to be obligated to get me a ring, but I would like to marry him.”

 

“Marry?” Jane squealed as she appeared on my other side. I nodded and grinned.

 

“Cookie, really?” Char asked as she came up behind Heidi, also sporting a big ass grin.

 

“Well, yeah. I love him and I don’t think I could live without him. I mean, I know we’re mated and we’ve been marked, but oh, I don’t know...” I paused as I put away the jewelry. “Come on, let’s get out of here and go to the cafe across the way and sit.”

 

I walked out the door and heard my sisters following me to the cafe. I heard the distinct tapping of texting from behind me and decided to send another quick text to Jasper. ‘ _Just wanted to let you know I love you so much! It feels a little strange being out here shopping without you though.’_

As I grabbed a round outdoor table, I heard my phone indicating I received a text. _‘I know the feelin’, you’re much cuter and sexier than Peter._

“Awwww!!!” All three of them said as they looked at me and my goofy smile. We sat down and ordered four espressos from the waiter who was practically drooling over us.

 

“You guys, come on,” I huffed. I hated the feeling of being put on the spot.

 

The waiter arrived with our drinks and we just let them sit in front of us as he walked away. Jane sniffed at the demitasse cup and made a face.

 

I snickered. “Yeah, I used to love the smell of coffee and before being turned, I used to enjoy my cappuccinos and espressos from that cafe at Volterra.” I looked at Char. “I think these two had to console me for days when I realized I couldn’t drink the stuff after I was changed. And believe me, I tried.”

 

Heidi giggled and looked at Char. “She was such a stubborn newborn. She thought she knew EVERYTHING and even tried to prove to us she could drink coffee. Irrational, I know.” Heidi looked back at me and winked before continuing. “She took a sip and her face was just hilarious-”

 

“Yeah it was,” Jane broke in. “She was so pissed that first she smashed those small cups into a fine coffee smelling paste and then she started to cry. We both held and consoled her while she bawled.”

 

“Gee, thanks,” I muttered. “Even today, what I used to think was the fine aroma of coffee, is just... bleh!” I grimaced.

 

Char laughed and then grabbed my hand. “Now what were you sayin’ about marriage, Cookie?”

 

“Damn vampires and their memories,” I mumbled softly, thankful that humans wouldn’t be able to hear our conversation. “So yeah, we’re mated and and even though that is supposed to be strong, I don’t know... I mean, you know me, I was never one for marriage. But with Jasper... it would feel right to marry him.”

 

The smell of rain permeated the air and I looked up to see the sky was about to burst. “Come on, let’s take some cover and talk. We’d stand out like sore thumbs if we just stayed here while it rained.” I pointed to a portico with seating and watched as Heidi stuck some bills under her saucer before we all headed for cover. As soon as we got there and sat down, the sky broke open, and we watched as people ran around to avoid getting soaked.

 

I felt my phone buzz and saw a message from Jasper. _‘How about dinner tonight? We’re leaving soon.’_

I smiled and replied. _‘Sounds great, we’ll take you to our favorite hangout :) I think we’ll be here another hour before we can leave.’_

We huddled around a small cafe table and I continued to talk about Jasper. “So where was I? Yeah, I want to marry him,” I said.

 

My sisters all squealed and got up from their chairs to hug me. Thank goodness they all had practice pretending to be human because they didn’t even bring stares from the humans as they walked or ran by us.

 

“I think I know the perfect time too,” I said with a grin.

 

“Really?” they asked in unison before looking at each other and giggling.

 

“Yes,” I said. “He mentioned something about going to the Amalfi Coast after we check in at Volterra tomorrow and, well, it would work with what I have planned.”

 

Heidi waved her hand impatiently. “Well... do tell, Riot.”

 

I explained to them about what Marcus had told me about storing my blood. When I was done, my sisters all looked at me in complete awe. Each of them had venom tears in their eyes from the story.

 

“Holy shit, he’ll love that!” Heidi whispered, breaking the silence.

 

Jane nodded in agreement. “We probably had what?” She looked at Heidi before continuing. “No more than a couple mouthfuls during your change.”

 

“Yeah, it was just enough to get the venom flowing,” Heidi replied. “Marcus helped us understand what this mates thing meant after you both left, by the way, since neither one of us have ever felt it and I never would have asked Chelsea since we were never close and all.”

 

“Oh Cookie, he’ll definitely love that.” Char said.

 

“Thanks. Do you think I can get some fancy glasses and a pitcher to go with it?” I asked my Volturi sisters.

 

“You don’t know, do you?” Jane asked.

 

“Know what?” I responded.

 

I watched as she texted a message to someone and less than a minute later, my phone buzzed and I saw that Alec had texted me a picture. It was a bottle, shaped like the ones used for Champagne. I was curious about why he’d send me a picture of a bottle until I saw the label and gasped.

 

**_I.M.S. 2006_ **

****

My blood was bottled. It wasn’t bagged.

 

“Bottled?” I asked, not really understanding.

 

Jane signed and put her arm around me. “Do you really think if we have special blood stored, that it would be in bags? From what you told me, this was to be given to someone you had a strong bond with, even before your change. You know how we are… it is all about appearances. You see it when we use the fancy glasses and shit. You saw it when Mario took you through the tunnel.” She tugged my hair playfully. “You know, it is like when you go to restaurants. Remember when we used to go with you and how you explained the presentation of food?”

 

I nodded and laughed. “Now that you mention it, I guess I never put it into that perspective. I thought it was silly, but you’re right, it is a show of sorts.” I got serious suddenly. “Whatever you do, don’t say anything and please hide your thoughts when you’re near Eddie.”

 

Heidi snickered. “Aro mentioned that as I brought some late night snacks for them and the wives after you all left. He even called Jane up to talk to us both. So, to practice, I’ve been thinking about silly girl stuff and my luring tactics just to be safe.”

 

Yeah, I went back to the dungeons with silly pop tunes in my head,” Jane said with a laugh. “I think he must not have liked that. I had that Taylor chick singing in my head. Oh, nice job on the scratch marks on them, Riot.” Jane pretended to wipe a tear out of her eye. “I’m so damn proud of you. I especially love the extra flourish you added to the letters on the succubus.”

 

I playfully punched her arm and laughed.

 

Char looked at all of us and whispered, “Peter and I tend to think of sex when we are near him. We even tried to give him visuals on the plane in case he got nosy.” She winked.

 

“Thanks Char.” I shuddered. “That’s funny as well, but thanks for not going into detail.”

 

Jane gasped. “We should celebrate! Tonight, we should all go to the club.”

 

“Yes, I could do with some dinner and dancing,” Heidi mused.

 

“Shit, if we’re goin’ dancin’ tonight, I’ll need clothes,” Char muttered. “I didn’t pack anythin’ club- worthy. Cookie, you’d have to as well cuz I did the packin’ for you.”

 

I nodded and texted a message to Jasper. _‘Change of plans. Clubbing tonight. We’re going to get outfits. Love you.’_

A minute later, I got Jasper’s reply. _‘Sounds good, We’ll go get some clothes too. Meet you back at the house?’_

“Um guys? After we’re done, wanna meet back at the villa and we can all get ready?” I asked and they all nodded.

 

‘ _Yes, we’ll all get ready at the villa. :) I love you, cowboy.’_

“Okay, it looks like we can get ready at the villa so you can meet Jasper and my new brother, Peter,” I said with a grin.

 

The rain was letting up a little and the street was once again bustling with shoppers. We went to different shops to find outfits for tonight. Heidi opted for a slinky sapphire blue halter dress that had a classic retro shape. Char found a similar dress but in a beautiful scarlet red. Jane found a cute hot pink, ruffled, strapless dress that worked with her petite figure. I decided to go simple and found a black strapless dress that hit above the knee.

 

We then hit the shoe stores and as I was strutting down the aisle with a pair of four inch stilettos, I was once again thankful that I was now able to wear these things safely. I knew they would make my legs look like they were a mile long.

 

“Work it, Riot!” Jane said as she strutted next to me in a pair of patterned pumps. Heidi and Char looked at us as they tried to find shoes that would go with their outfits.

 

“These shoes are perfect,” I said to the group as I sat back down to let Heidi and Char to show off.

 

“Remember when you wore my platform shoes a couple weeks before your change?” Heidi asked, her eyes filled with laughter.

 

I groaned. “Yeah, it was after my very last trip to Forks as a human and I was sad and got shitfaced,” I said as I put the shoes back into the box. I knew my sisters knew about Charlie, just like I explained to Jasper that day I opened up to him. It was just something that we never really discussed between us. It was as though they knew that I wanted to keep that memory close to me and they respected that.

 

“What? I got drunk and somehow thought it would be fun to wear your shoes and then you guys gave me a live turkey. I know it was November and I explained about having turkey for dinner but I never expected to be given a live turkey!” I whisper yelled.

 

My sisters were practically falling over each other from laughing so hard.

 

“Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want. It is funny now but for a drunk human, being chased by a crazy ass turkey was scary as fuck.”

 

“No,” Jane said as she doubled over and grabbed onto the shelving that held the shoes. “The scary thing was watching you run around in those heels. I swear, I was ready to catch you if you fell, Isabella. I didn’t want you getting hurt right before your change. And besides, it wasn’t our fault- we don’t cook our meals. It was an honest mistake, cross my heart.”

 

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Honest mistake my ass. You’ve gone with me to restaurants.”

 

Jane tried to hold back her laughter and was doing a great job until I saw her lips twitch.

 

“Uh-huh,” I said with a smirk. “Well, no matter, I got you both back after my change, you especially, Voodoo.”

 

Char sat down next to me and put her shoes into the box. “Cookie, what did you do?”

 

I smirked at Heidi and Jane who were trying hard not to laugh. I turned to Char and explained. “It was almost a week after I woke up. My brain was getting clearer and I remembered the turkey incident, especially since the news reports were talking about Thanksgiving in the United States and how the president pardoned the turkey. I just had to get back at them for that, after all. So, you know those play things full of plastic balls, where human children go? ”

 

Char looked at me, nodded slowly and whispered, “No, you didn’t. Did you?”

 

I gave her a devious grin. “I filled their rooms up with those balls. I ordered a couple truck loads, climbed up to their rooms from the outside, and used an air hose to fill up their rooms with that stuff. They were out feeding, so I tried to act innocent when they opened up their rooms.”

 

Jane sat down on the bench across from us and Heidi sat behind her as they both got their purchases ready to take up to the front.

 

“Yeah, imagine opening your chamber door and being drowned by colorful plastic balls,” Jane muttered. “I chased her around the castle and was sending a little pain to her when she ended up pinning me against the wall without touching me.” She grinned at me and winked. “My sister had a gift and even though I was pissed at her prank, I was so proud that she had an ability.”

 

We got up and purchased our shoes for tonight. As we headed out the door, Char pulled me close and hugged me. “Thank you Cookie for lettin’ me spend the day with y’all.”

 

“Nonsense, you’re my sister too,” I said.

 

“We are all sisters,” Heidi interjected.

 

“Damn right we are,” Jane said emphatically.

 

I was beyond thrilled that we all got along. My sisters were all bad ass vampires, but deep down inside, we were strong willed women who had a great sense of humor and we had had a great time today. I was interrupted from my thoughts as I felt the buzz from my phone.

 

‘ _OK darlin’ we got our party clothes for tonight. I miss you, I love you.’_ I smiled at his message. Even though we were a few hours apart, knowing he was thinking of me and probably going through the same thing made me feel good.

 

I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned to see Char looking at me with some concern in her eyes. “Cookie, how are ya fairin’? Are you doin’ alright?”

 

I nodded. “I miss him, but I’m fine for the most part. I certainly couldn’t have done this a week ago. Heidi, drop us off at the castle unless Peter has room in his car?” I looked at Char.

 

“Nope, he got some fancy sports car that he’s been eyein’ for awhile.” Char replied.

 

“Sure, we can do that. Should I have Alec leave you the blood then?” Jane asked.

 

“Yeah, that would be great. That way it will be in the car already and I won’t have to explain to Jasper.”

 

We loaded up the car and headed back towards Volterra. This time, Heidi let Jane drive and I sat in the front as Heidi and Char chatted in the back.

 

“Janey, aren’t you afraid you’ll get caught for underage driving?” I asked. I knew she was a good driver, but given her adolescent features, she wasn’t always allowed to drive. Although at night it was never a surprise if she was behind the wheel. The standard dark tinted windows for all the cars at Volterra were effective and cops never suspected a thing.

 

“Nah, I have a forged permit now.” She shrugged. “Just got it a month ago but it means I have to follow all the rules, blah, blah, blah.” Jane waved her hand dismissively and rolled her eyes. “I still speed if Pierre rides with me. That gift of his sure comes in handy.”

 

“Is there something going on with you and Pierre, Voodoo?” I asked her.

 

“Is it that obvious?” she asked in a horrified whisper. “I like him and he likes me but we’re taking it slow. We don’t have the bond thing though. Either way, we’re close friends,” she added with a shrug.

 

I smiled and watched the scenery pass by as we got closer and closer to Volterra, which meant that we were that much closer to Jasper.

 


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: As always, thank you for reading the story.
> 
> HeavyInfinity – thank you so much for being such an awesome beta. I really appreciate you making this pretty.
> 
> My prereaders – Jasperswoman, SparklingFae, JaspersBella – thanks for the feed back on this chapter.
> 
> DarkNnerdy – you helped me as I picked out the finer details for this chapter and I appreciate all your support.
> 
> My initials are still not SM so I cannot claim I own it. Nor do I own any of the cars, unfortunately. A girl can still dream though right?

**_Songs:_ **

**_Thunder Road – Bruce Springsteen (I wrote out this chapter the night Clarence Clemons died)_ **

**_Country Girl (Shake it for Me) – Luke Bryan (if you haven't heard this song, it needs to be played LOUD)_ **

****

**Chapter 18**

**JPOV**

As soon as Isabella and Char left to meet up with Heidi and Jane for a girl’s day, I quickly texted Peter to let him know the coast was clear. A couple minutes later, he showed up in a silver sports car.

 

“What is this, bro?” I asked. I could see it had the lines of a Dodge Viper, but the badging was different.

 

“This here is a Viper that has been tricked out by Heffner Performance. They’re out of Florida but I managed to find one here so I could see if I wanna get one when we get back to Texas,” Peter said with a grin.

 

My brother was a car enthusiast through and through. Like the Volturi, he had also converted his barn into a stable for, as he called them, all his little fillies. I didn’t say a word as I hopped in and we took off towards Florence.

 

Isabella had mentioned that they usually hung out in either the smaller towns or, like today, they would make a trip out to Livorno, the coastal town that was the opposite direction of where we were headin'.

 

For weeks we had gone everywhere together and even though it was out of necessity, I had really enjoyed being with her and hanging out with her. It still surprised me that we could do separate things from each other without the pain that we had experienced before our Forks trip. As we had held each other during our bath, she had confided to me that it felt strange for her to want to spend time with her sisters without me. We held each other tight, not wanting to let go, but I promised her we would be fine. I also told her that we’d go for a drive as soon as we met up with the kings the next morning, just the two of us.

 

“It doesn’t ever go away but you’ll be fine. This is about the limit in our distance too, so I’ll be sufferin’ with ya, Major,” Peter said quietly.

 

“So how do the two of you cope?” I asked. “I guess I should have put two and two together when I saw you and Char goin’ on trips together while I was perfectly fine whenever the pixie bitch went on her shopping excursions for weeks at a time.” I shook my head, realizing how I never noticed those things before.

 

“Don’t admonish yourself, Major. Think about it; would knowin’ about that have made your life with _her_ that much easier? What is important is now you have Cookie and y’all are fuckin’ perfect for each other. As far as copin’, we will make sure we aren’t apart for too long and maybe we should think about goin’ huntin’ tonight.”

 

“Sounds like a plan. So why are we goin’ to Florence?”

 

“I think we’ll find what you need there.”

 

“Do you have to pull that shit all the time? Just say what’s on your mind, crazy fucker,” I grumbled.

 

“And take away all my fun? Never!” He grinned as he shifted the car into fifth gear and we cruised over towards Florence.

 

I shook my head and punched his arm, causing him to swerve a split second before he regained control of the car.

 

I laughed and started playing with the satellite stereo until I found a classic rock station. “Betcha didn’t see that snapshot did ya?”

 

Peter huffed and flipped me off.

 

We got there in no time, even though we had to go slower than what we would have liked. He found a spot to park and we started to walk around the city. It was overcast and about ready to rain, but we still slipped on our sunglasses to hide our eyes. When I was with the Cullens, I always tried to avoid places like Italy and France because those places usually meant shopping for the damn pixie. To her, shoppin' wasn’t a couple hours here or there. Her sprees always lasted over several days. It wasn't that I got tired, I just hated having to hold her damn bags or worse, her purse, while she tried on the whole entire fuckin’ store over and over, season after season. She wouldn’t keep her clothes either. They were pretty much worn one time, maybe twice, and then it was off to get donated.

 

With Isabella, it was so different. We enjoyed going to the market square together and we looked for items for our house or things she could send to her sisters. When it came to clothes, most of the time she wore jeans and a t-shirt or shorts or a skirt. I loved that she didn’t care about designer labels and just went primarily by comfort. I also loved that sometimes when we went out, she would wear halter tops and not be ashamed of her scars. Because of her, I started to wear short sleeve t-shirts more. I no longer had to hide my past. We both had scars, both physically and emotionally, and she made damn sure to let me know that she thought I was sexy each and every day.

 

I quickly sent a text message to Isabella. _‘In Florence. Hope you’re havin’ fun darlin. I fuckin’ love you.'_

Peter and I walked in silence as we passed by different shops. He was texting messages to Char as well.

 

I wanted to get Isabella something but I wasn’t absolutely sure what I was looking for. I had an idea of our future plans and even though I wasn't superstitious, I still didn't want to jinx things by acknowledging what I really wanted to buy. I watched as Peter darted into a high end jewelry store and I followed him in. As Peter went up to one of the sales women and started to ask questions, I started to look around the display cases to see if something would catch my eye.

 

My phone buzzed back and I looked at it, smiling when I saw that I had a message from her. _‘We are in Livorno - Brickhouse and Voodoo are grilling me! :( Char is amused. Cowboy, I fucking love you too.’_

I chuckled at her message. Given what I had heard of their phone conversations, I could only imagine what her sisters were sayin’ to my Isabella. I couldn’t wait to really meet them and decided that maybe I could find something during our trip to give to each of them as a thank you gift for lookin’ after her.

 

I quickly scanned the display cases and found nothing that seemed to fit her or her sisters. I didn’t want to get just anything. All of them, especially Isabella, deserved something special. I walked towards Peter as he was thanking the shopkeeper in Italian.

 

“What’s goin’ on, bro?” I asked Peter as I followed him out the door.

 

“I asked the lady if she had an idea where we’d be able to find someone who works on custom jewelry and she told me there is a shop down the way.”

 

“Oh? What are you lookin’ for?”

 

“I got kitten a beautiful tear drop ruby during a trip to Thailand months ago and I want to find someone who’ll be able to make it into a necklace, but I don’t want just any jeweler you know?” he said as he patted his pocket.

 

I nodded and we walked down the main shopping area. I wondered if I should go the same route if they didn’t have what I was looking for. We crossed the street and walked into the small jewelry shop. Unlike the first place we were at, there was a glassed-in area where we could see a jeweler working on some sort of diamond piece. I looked at the display cases and noticed that there were definitely more unique pieces than at the first shop. Surely something would catch my eye.

 

I spotted a necklace that I thought it would be perfect for her sisters. The sales woman explained that the image of the swan was made up of a cultured Tahitian pearl that was set on a platinum body. The wings and the head were diamonds with a small ruby for the eye. I asked her in Italian if she had two of the same design and she mentioned that I was in luck. She had one more in the back. I asked if she could wrap it up for me as I continued to look for something suitable for my woman.

 

I felt my phone buzz and pulled it out of my pocket. It was a message from Char. _‘She’s a size 5 - XOXO your sis.’_ I shook my head and tried not to chuckle as it appeared my sister was trying to give me some hints about Isabella. Just as I was about to reply back to her, my phone buzzed again. ‘ _Just wanted to let you know I love you so much! It feels a little strange being out here shopping without you though.’_

I texted out a quick thanks to Char and then I texted Isabella in response before slipping the phone back into my pocket. _‘I know the feelin’, you’re much cuter and sexier than Peter’._

I still wasn’t sure what I was really searchin’ for as I looked at necklaces and bracelets and rings. Nothing stuck out in my mind as bein’ special enough for her. It wasn’t until I rounded the corner that I found it. It was starin’ straight the fuck at me.

 

When the saleswoman came back from getting the necklaces wrapped, I pointed to the display and asked her to describe the item in detail.

 

As she was describing it, I kept wondering whether it was just too ornate for Isabella or not. Then I remembered what she said about nice things. I hoped she liked this and if she did, would she see the significance?

 

_Whitlock, quit worryin’. She’ll know._

Peter walked by and showed me the ruby he had in his pocket. It had to be at least 5 carats easily and it was a brilliant crimson. He grinned as he saw what I was looking at and slapped me on the back and nodded.

 

His attention was back with the salesman and I heard him explain the design he wanted and watched as he handed the man his credit card.

 

I turned my attention back to the woman and explained what I needed and she said it would only take a few minutes to get it ready. I gave the saleswoman a smile and gave her my bank card. She quickly ran back to the glassed in area and spoke to the jeweler before goin’ into another room away from view. I texted Isabella again while I waited for Peter to finish his transaction.

 

‘ _How about dinner tonight? We’re leaving soon.’_

‘ _Sounds great, we’ll take you to our favorite hangout :) I think we’ll be here another hour before we can leave.’_

When the transactions were done, we headed back towards the car at a casual human pace. Peter was whistlin’ some random tune before he pointed towards a small bookstore that specialized in out of print books. As we walked in, I headed straight to the history area and saw Peter going to a different aisle. I knew Peter had been lookin’ for some car books to add to his collection. As I was flippin’ through a book on the Peleponnesian War that I knew I didn’t have, I felt my phone buzz and read the message from Isabella about goin’ clubbing tonight. I filled Peter in on their plans at vampire speed and heard his acknowledgement a few rows away.

 

I sent my response back. _‘Sounds good.We’ll go get some clothes too. Meet you back at the house?’_

‘ _Yes, we’ll all get ready at the villa. :) I love you, cowboy.’_

I grabbed that book along with another out of print book about Mount Vesuvius and headed towards the counter. Peter joined me a minute later with a small stack of books on cars that included the American Tucker and what looked like an old Russian book.

 

“Russian?” I asked him. I knew some words in the language, but didn’t have a real desire to be fluent in it. The Denali sisters taught us all a few words when we stayed in Alaska, but with them, the words were always laced with innuendo. I always did my best to avoid them, knowin’ that underlyin’ stream of lust I felt from them was certainly not good. Even when I had been oblivious to the mind fuck of the Cullens and thought I was mated to that pixie, I was never attracted to any of them.

 

“Yeah, it is on the history of the automotive industry from a Soviet point of view. I have one at home that is more objective, also in Russian, but just published just a couple years ago. It’ll be funny to see the differences just because of politics. So clubbin’ huh?”

 

I nodded as the sales girl slid her eyes slyly over me before ringin’ up my books. I rolled my eyes and tossed my bank card casually at her, ignorin’ her stares and the lust comin’ off of her. I signed my receipt and grabbed the bag after the transaction was done without sayin’ more than a polite _‘grazie’_. I was tempted to send her a shot of lust as she rang up Peter’s books but I felt how impatient he was and decided not to. If he was missin’ his woman as much as I was missin’ mine, well, I wasn’t gonna piss him off.

 

I showed him my phone as we walked out the door and he nodded as we started walking towards some clothing shops nearby. It took us about an hour to find what we were lookin’ for. As we walked back to the car, I quickly texted Isabella to let her know we were heading back to the villa.

 

We drove back in silence; the only sound was a station belting out some Bruce Springsteen. Peter drove his car as fast as he could without drawing too much attention and we managed to make it back to the villa ticket free. He rounded the drive to my villa and slowed down just enough so I could hop out of the car with my stuff. I went in and fired up my computer to see if there was anything new before we left for the night and more importantly, before our meeting with the kings tomorrow.

 

We had known it was going to take a few days for Serena to get back to us with news on the human that she had found. The last note we received was that she assigned someone on her team to tail them. Sure enough, there was an email from Serena and an attachment. I quickly texted Isabella letting her know there was news and that I would wait to read it with her. I put away some of the purchases and heard my phone buzz letting me know I had a text.

 

‘ _We are taking 2 cars for tonight. We’re almost at the drive.’_

Sure enough, a couple minutes later I heard a couple cars roarin’ their engines up the path towards our villa. I ran out the door quickly and saw the Maserati and a Porsche racin’ up, closely followed by Peter’s blurrin’ form.

 

As soon as the cars came to a stop, I watched as Peter pulled the door open to the Maserati and pulled Char into his arms before carryin’ her back to their villa. Good thing he wasn’t a fuckin’ newborn because he easily could have torn the door of the rental clean off in his haste to get to his mate. Isabella and I ran towards each other and at the last minute she launched herself into my arms. We held onto each other tight as we breathed each other in and whispered our love.

 

“Awwww!” her sisters said in unison and giggled.

 

“Ladies,” I said quietly as I leaned my forehead against Isabella’s. “The pool’s outside and you can just grab any of the empty rooms. We need to look at a report first and then we’ll meet up?” I opened the door to the house and let them in as we headed to our room. I logged back on and then opened the report from Serena.

 

_Project Phoenix - Update on human subject:_

_It took a few days before any progress was gained on following the subject. The adolescent human is named Miguel and after crossing the U.S. border, he slowly made his way north. I assigned Jackie to tail him because out of everybody on my team, she’s the most patient when it comes to stalking humans._

_The boy took a couple bus rides until he was in Minnesota and was observed looking for the Masens. Jackie, at this point, decided to bump into Miguel and offer some help as a means of gleaning more information. It seems that the Masens were doctors and they needed someone to teach their children equestrian skills as well as Spanish. Miguel, as it turned out, was a star high school student and had plans for university. Had he fulfilled his obligations with the Masens, they were going to provide him with an education._

_He had been told to wait at this restaurant for the wife to show up but she never did. For two days he went there and waited. Just last night, Jackie “ran” into him again at the restaurant. As soon as Miguel arrived, there was a message waiting for him from Phoenix informing him to stay put in the city. Unfortunately, Miguel was mugged and although Jackie could have intervened, it would have blown her cover and Miguel would have had to be dealt with. He’s at a county hospital right now and it looks like he might be deported after he recovers._

_We still haven’t found anything that disproves the theory about vampires running this group. Given that this is the only glitch thus far, we’re still thinking it is plausible and we’re taking extra precautions._

_Jackie will continue to observe and will inform me of any changes. - Serena_

“The Masens? As in Edward Masen?” Isabella muttered, her eyebrows furrowed. “So Assward and that succubus are married?”

 

“They weren’t when I knew them. When we were all at Forks, I didn’t feel anything that would have lead me to believe they are actually married now. Maybe it was a front to gain her trust. I’m hopin’ we’ll know more once we go to Volterra.”

 

“Yeah,” Isabella whispered and rested her head on my arm. “I hope so too. At least we know that asshole is somewhat involved. But if Phoenix called Miguel or left a message in the past day or so, it wouldn’t have been Eddie or Tanya. Fuck, this is frustrating but I feel like we’re getting closer.” Isabella suddenly perked up and looked at me with a big grin. “Come on, let’s meet my sisters.”

 

I stood up and showed her the necklaces I got for them as a thank you for takin’ care of her.

 

Isabella gasped. “Jasper, they are beautiful! You don’t have to do that.” She looked at me and a sheen of tears filled her eyes.

 

I held her close to me and whispered against her hair. “I wanted to and besides, you didn’t have to get Peter and Char the Shelby but you still did.”

 

“Touche,” she said with a smirk. “Well, thank you. That was really sweet of you. They like you already. Come on.” We quickly got changed and together headed down to the pool where her sisters were hanging out.

 

I was greeted by her sisters with hugs as we all sat down and enjoyed the warm, rainy day. I received more hugs and kisses from them when I showed them their necklaces and they quickly put them on. Isabella lay next to me on the lounger and I could feel the strong, steady streams of love that she had for her sisters and for me.

 

“Ladies, hot piece of ass comin’ your way,” Peter shouted from outside the front of the villa. We all laughed when we heard Char smacking his head yet again.

 

“Aww baby, you know I was talkin’ about your hot ass,” Peter muttered to Char as they made their way out to the pool.

 

“Peter Whitlock, what did I tell you about openin’ your damn mouth?” Char admonished as they walked towards us.

 

“You know you love me, woman,” Peter said with a grin and we all laughed as he batted his eyes at Char.

 

Char shook her head and tried not to laugh. “I do love you but sometimes, you make me wonder why, sugar.” She looked up and winked at him before pushing him into the pool.

 

We all laughed as he sputtered out the water. “What is it with you women always tryin’ to get me wet like that?”

 

He yelped out loud in pain and I felt the heavy mischievousness coming from Jane as he tried to climb out of the pool. I gave her a thumbs up.

 

We hung out for probably another hour as Heidi and Jane told us the story of Isabella and her love of coffee. They explained that they talked about that during their trip earlier but Heidi wanted to make sure I knew the story as well, much to Isabella’s mortification. We were all getting along great and I recognized the difference between how the Cullens treated each other as siblings and how we all acted. There was a sense of equality and there were no judgements of each other. Everybody was on even footing, regardless of whether we were gifted or not.

 

“Let’s get ready! I’m in the mood for dinner and dancing!” Heidi quipped with a grin.

 

Everybody nodded. I had no idea where we were going, but I knew I could use a meal and I could feel a little pang of hunger comin’ from Isabella as well.

 

“Alright, let’s get ready and leave within the hour,” Heidi said. All the girls agreed, much to my surprise.

 

“Is an hour enough time?” I asked, remembering how long it took for Rose to get ready even at vampire speed.

 

They all looked at me and I certainly didn’t need any gifts to know that at that moment, I was just a typical guy to them. I shrugged. “Well, we don’t usually get too dressed up when we go out, so what do I know?”

 

Isabella rolled her eyes at me and dragged me into the house. “One hour is perfect and that includes the mandatory girl talk. We’ll meet you down by the cars; Char and Peter can ride with us.”

 

Isabella decided to get ready in one of the other rooms when we got upstairs. Jane whispered to me that she wanted to knock my socks off with her outfit and I nodded. I had never seen her all dressed up before, other than at the prom so many years ago and back then, she was reluctant to dress up.

 

Even though I bought a suit while in Florence, I didn’t want to wear the full get-up, so Instead, I opted to throw on my dark jeans and boots, a button down, and a casual tie before slipping the fedora on my head. There was a soft knock on the door as I was shrugging my jacket on and I could tell immediately from the scent that it was Isabella. She opened the door and walked in.

 

“Holy... fuck!” we both said in unison as we looked at each other.

 

Fuck, she was hot. Her black satin dress and satin stilettos made her legs look a fuckin’ mile long. Her shoulders and neck were exposed and I quickly grabbed her into a tight embrace as I licked the mark on her neck.

 

“You look sexy as hell, babe,” I whispered, earning a whimper from her.

 

“And my mental picture of you in a suit did not do you justice. I love it, cowboy,” she whispered back, bringing my head down for a hard kiss.

 

“I should have gotten you a necklace or something,” I said as I set her on the floor and looked at her.

 

“I’ve got a little something,” she said as she walked over, grabbed a small bag, and pulled out a delicate silver chain with a diamond on it. I went over to her and helped her put it on. “It was my grandmother Swan’s diamond. I had it made after I got here.”

 

I smiled at her. “It is beautiful and I think she would have liked the design.” I held out my hand to her. “Shall we?”

 

Everybody was all dressed up and ready to go. We were all excited as we got into the cars. As I shut Isabella’s car door, I looked at Heidi and asked her where we were going to.

 

“The Devil’s Playground is where we are headed,” she said with a wink. “Just follow us, we’ll get you there.”

 

I nodded as I got in. It wasn’t far from the villa and we pulled into the already crowded parking lot a half an hour later.

 

As we got to the main entrance of The Devil’s Playground, we bypassed the line of humans and walked straight to the front. I heard the hundreds of hearts beating in time to the heavy bass as the vampire bouncer glanced at our eyes and let us through the velvet ropes. Isabella had explained during the car ride that they were regulars here at the club. It was one of the few businesses that was owned by the Volturi as another way to find meals. A human waitress escorted us to a private room that had a dark tinted glass window overlookin’ the dance floor.

 

As soon as we got into the room, a server came in with several wine bottles and left. Jane explained that there was no need to tell the servers what we needed. There was always an inventory of bottled blood here that was watered down to look like red wine.

 

“The servers knew better than to open our bottles. The manager informs his human staff that we are germophobes and prefer to open our own bottles,” Jane said with a grin.

 

The thick wall of tinted glass kept the nosy humans from looking inside, but the way they used the glass as a mirror had us all laughing. Heidi explained that it is a source of constant hilarity, especially as it got later into the night. We stood there and scanned the crowd. I wasn’t terribly thirsty yet but I saw that Heidi and Jane were, just from the way they were standing.

 

“Heidi and I will be back. We’re going to grab a bite first,” Jane said with a snicker and they quickly walked down to the dance floor, followed by Peter and Char.

 

“Are you hungry too, darlin’?” I asked Isabella.

 

She looked up and smiled. "A little, but it isn’t bad. I wouldn’t mind a snack though. You?”

 

“I could use a small bite myself. So, what do y’all do here?” I asked her as I wrapped his hands around her and people watched.

 

“Well, usually we’ll people watch through the glass, though sometimes we’ll go down and dance. Well, you know, humans tend to avoid us but a few drunk guys have tried to get handsy with Heidi and Jane,” she said, leaning against me.

 

“Were they ever handsy with you, Isabella?” I whispered harshly and could feel her shiver as my breath brushed that sensitive spot near her ear. I felt her love for me pourin’ out of her and pressed my lips against her skin.

 

“No. I usually had my shield up, but if I was hungry, I’d let them get close.” She turned around to look at me. “Hey, wanna dance cowboy?”

 

“Yes ma’am,” I answered and tipped my fedora at her.

 

We walked downstairs to the dance area hand in hand and I just started to take in the sounds around us. Isabella kept us in her hovering shield so I could still get the sense of the feelings that surrounded us, but not to the point where the alcohol fueled crowd would overwhelm me.

 

The bodies were warm and sweaty as we took each other’s hands and started to move in time to the music. I was watchin’ the crowd as I spun Isabella around and I could tell from her dartin’ eyes she was doing the same thing. Heidi was turning on the charm as interested human men started to crowd around her and Jane. The lights were flashing and people were laughing and getting drunk. The club was packed and the alcohol was flowing freely. I inwardly chuckled as I thought The Devil’s Playground was the perfect name for this place.

 

I felt it when something caught Isabella’s attention. It was a young woman, probably in her mid 20s. She bore an uncanny resemblance to Isabella, but she appeared to be a little older. Based on the accessories she was wearing, she must have been the guest of honor at a bachelorette party. She was having a heated conversation with some man who, from the sound of it, had broken up with her years ago and now wanted to be with her again. She was trying to remind him of all the faults he had constantly pointed out about her. I felt Isabella’s hand squeeze mine and she nodded towards the young woman as we continued to move in time with the music.

 

“Somethin’ the matter, babe?” I whispered into her ear.

 

“See the bachelorette over there? She sort of reminds me of me,” she said as we stepped off the dance floor and found a dark corner table so we could observe and talk.

 

“What, you wore a condom covered veil in public?” I teased her.

 

She laughed and shook her head. “No, I mean physically she looks like how I’d probably look like if I was a little older. And that man who has come back into her life is being a jerk.”

 

We sat back and watched. I pulled Isabella’s chair closer to me and sent her my love as the man continued to remind this girl how they were together for so long and tell her that he made a mistake by saying goodbye to her. He was bein’ a jerk to this woman and I let a low growl out as I felt the man’s feelings.

 

“What’s the matter, cowboy?” Isabella asked as she placed a hand on my thigh.

 

“I’m just gettin’ a different vibe from him than what he’s sayin’ to her. He’s tryin’ to deceive her. He’s givin’ her this sob story but his emotions aren’t aligned with what he’s sayin’. Luckily, she’s thinkin’ he’s nuthin’ but a liar. And he’s clearly harrassing her. Every time another female passes by, he gets a surge of lust too. I’m guessin’ he thinks he’s a gift to women.”

 

“Eww, he is delusional too! What a prick. Hmm, maybe I can remedy that,” Isabella said as she stood up and gave me a kiss. “When I get close to him, work your magic. I’m going to head out that door in the back. It leads to some darkened chambers that are used for feeding.”

 

I nodded and watched as she sashayed close to the man and I immediately shot him some lust, which increased his own almost tenfold. His attention was diverted from the woman he was harassing and started to follow Isabella as she started towards the door. I quietly followed him and watched as she opened the door at the back of the club.

 

By the time I got out that door, she had lured him into what looked like catacombs. I smelled stale blood inside as well as some faint vampire scents that were probably several hours old.

 

“I don’t like what you’re doing to my friend in there,” Isabella hissed at the man. I slipped inside and stood in the dark shadows, watching as she pinned the man against the wall.

 

“She’s asked you to stop bothering her but you just won’t listen will you? You remind me of someone I once dated. Even today, after I am happily with someone else, he still bothers me and treats me like I am still his.” She pushed him hard against the wall again and the man staggered after his head hit the old brick wall.

 

I blurred right behind Isabella and watched the semi-conscious man. He was bleeding a little as he stared at us with foggy eyes.

 

“See? This is my man and he knows how to treat a woman right. You’re just nothing but a big fucking bully, aren’t you?” she continued angrily at him. “She asked you to stop bothering her and what do you do? You followed her across the ocean to see her. And at her bachelorette party? How fucked up are you?”

 

I knew that Isabella was now usin’ her own experience with Eddie to lash out on this man. Her chest heaved and she let out a low, subhuman growl. I continued to watch the man as fear started to change his blood. Her eyes must have darkened from the look on his face.

 

“I... I knew she’d miss me when she saw me,” the man squeaked out. “She never could say no.” He smirked. He was frightened, but he still fuckin’ smirked.

 

“Oh really? So you think you can just push her around like that and she’ll take you back? You thought you could continue to coerce her into being in your life again?” Isabella looked at me before continuing. “You deceived her. You fucking lied to her and you still expect her to drop everything and take you back?”

 

“She has before,” he whispered. “What do you care? Unless you want to have a chance with me too?”

 

Lust shot through the man and it was my turn to growl at the fucker.

 

“Wrong answer, asshole!” Isabella hissed again and pulled him lower so she could reach his neck. She muffled the man’s mouth and bit down before pinning him against the wall again. I felt her hand reach for mine and she pulled me closer to her. The man shrieked and cursed in pain and I could see she had taken a deep pull of blood. She turned the man around as she faced me and winked before wavin’ me over to the man’s neck.

 

We watched each other intently as I latched on to share the meal with my mate. When we did this before, we also had our demons out playin’ with our food, but this time it was just us. Our hands touched as we continued to drain the man until he was tapped dry. I watched as Isabella opened a door that was neatly cut into the wall of the building and I dropped the man down the chute.

 

“Trash incinerator,” she explained she straightened up my jacket.

 

“Do you need more, babe?” I asked her, noticing that her eyes were once again their beautiful crimson.

 

“No, I think I’m good but if we find a late night snack later, I wouldn’t mind sharing.” She grinned as we reached the door.

 

“Sounds good to me, woman.” I laughed and smacked her ass as we went back in to dance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTES: The Devil's Playground – purely fictitious but I thought it would be a perfect name for a night club.
> 
> Next stop, will include their trip to the Amalfi Coast. I wonder what can happen then. Until then ~ ciao! Sushi


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: As always, thank you for reading the story.
> 
> HeavyInfinity – thank you once again for your awesome beta skills
> 
> My prereaders – Jasperswoman, SparklingFae, JaspersBella – thanks for the feed back on this chapter.
> 
> DarkNnerdy – you and I spent one night searching the interwebz for something that fits this chapter. So thank you. 
> 
> My initials are still not SM unfortunately. If they were, I'd definitely have sporty Italian car.

**Chapter 19**

 

_**SONGS:** _

_**Eulogy – Tool** _

_**Hypnotize the Moon – Clay Walker** _

 

**_  
_ **

**JPOV**

 

Later that night, as we were about to leave the club, the club manager came over to greet us and we ended up staying another hour, drinking our blood and talkin’. Isabella and her sisters explained that Gerard not only ran the club but was also the accountant for the kings as well. Heidi and Jane said that he was the mastermind behind the Volturi opening up The Devil’s Playground as well as other lucrative businesses in and around Volterra. We said goodnight as the last of his human staff left the building and we headed back to the villas. 

 

It was a fun night dancin’ and hangin’ out with Isabella and her sisters. Hell, it had been a long time since Peter, Char and I hung out and we all had fun. 

 

Feeding on that asshole that was bothering that woman was interesting. She looked very similar to Isabella and I knew that Isabella felt the same way from the way she kept lookin’ at her. As we walked back from our shared meal, I watched as she went over to her human doppelganger’s table and let her know that the manager was informed about the man and that he had been kicked out of the club. The woman was beyond drunk by that point but I could tell that she was relieved she wasn’t going to be bothered by her ex. 

 

Throughout the night, Isabella and I danced as a couple and at one point all of the girls danced around as Peter and I wolf-whistled at them. We had a great time and Peter and I even took turns requesting country songs so we could two-step with our mates and we even taught Jane and Heidi. All of us took turns feedin’ and Isabella and I even grabbed another snack later that evening. 

 

The platinum blonde that kept hittin’ on me wouldn’t take no for an answer, even after I politely explained that I was in love with Isabella. Isabella looked at me and shrugged as the woman continued houndin’ me after the two of us sat down. I figured it was my turn to lure her out back and I felt Isabella’s eyes on the woman as she followed us out the door and into the blood scented building in the back. The woman was completely drunk and high on coke so no amount of fear hit her as we both fed off the saline injected bimbo. 

 

As I drove us home, the humor I felt coming off of Isabella shook me from my thoughts. I reached across the center console to brush my fingertips over her bare arms. “What’s so funny, babe?” 

 

“Oh, I was just thinking about that hooker looking chick, or as Heidi would call her, 'a smelly pirate hooker'. I think we might have busted an implant bag because her blood tasted funny at the end. It wasn't bad, just funny.” Isabella said, causing everyone in the car to erupt in laughter. 

 

“Oh, I was once starvin’ and ended up snackin’ on one of those Hooter girls, much to Peter’s delight,” Char began, her eyes twinklin’ with laughter. “Unfortunately, I couldn’t be too choosy that night and she was tryin’ to get it on with a guy who was supplyin’ her with meth. Well, she had the silicone kind and you definitely don’t want that shit. It left a bad taste in my mouth and Peter and I had to kill the dealer plus a drunk man who was tryin’ to rough up some college girls just to get that nasty aftertaste out. I almost wanted to grab a squirrel and drain that fucker just to rid my mouth of that silicone taste.”

 

“I’ll remember that and try to avoid them now,” Isabella said. She turned around and asked Peter and Char, “Hey, did you have fun?” 

 

I smiled as I felt her love for my brother and sister and felt their love for my mate. For the first time, I could honestly say that I had a family. Even her sisters had a fondness for Peter and Char and for me. 

 

“Hell, yeah! That was great fun! We should invest in something like that in Texas,” Peter mused. Char nodded in agreement. “Money, meals and pure entertainment.”

 

I pressed the gate code and we drove over towards Peter and Char’s villa. 

 

“What time do we need to be at Volterra?” Peter asked as he got out and reached for Char’s hand.

 

“We can leave after dawn, if that is alright,” Isabella answered. 

 

“That would be great. I guess y’all are going on a drive after the meeting, right? Come on by in the morning when you’re ready and we’ll follow.”

 

We said our good nights and headed towards our own villa. I decided to leave the car with Peter and told him he could try it out since he was a car guy. A light rain started to fall as we walked back. 

 

“You know, my human ass would have slipped and fallen in this shit,” she commented as she did a little hop over the cobbled driveway. 

 

“Well, if you were still human, I would hold onto you to make sure you wouldn’t fall,” I whispered and twirled her around before I held her close to me. “Let’s go change and greet your dad before we go back to the castle,” I said as I bent her into a low dip, her hair nearly touchin’ the floor. I kissed the column of her throat before lettin’ her back up. 

 

We had our morning ritual and I added a few words to Chief Swan as the sun rose and peeked behind the rain clouds. We got ready and ran back to my brother and sister’s villa, hopin’ like hell I didn’t make a mistake when I loaned them my car. 

 

I breathed a sigh of relief when I saw that it was still intact and looking as pristine as when I dropped it off hours ago. 

 

“Don’t worry, Major, the back was too small. Now a truck on the other hand...” 

 

“Shut it, Peter!” Isabella yelled and I saw Peter moving away from us against his will. Isabella must have been usin’ her shield on him. 

 

I pulled her close, hiding my smile from my brother and watched as he was pinned onto the marble stairs just as Char appeared. She wasn’t even phased as she walked by Peter and hopped into her car. 

 

“Don’t y’all worry about the Maserati. We just drove it around town is all,” she said with a laugh.

 

In an instant, Peter was released and he was up. “Cookie, you wound me,” he huffed as he walked over to the driver side and got in. 

 

“Sorry, Polaroid. I didn’t want details. You just keep those to yourself or better yet, let Assward see them.” Isabella smirked as she hopped into the driver’s seat. “You don’t mind, do you, handsome?” 

 

“Nah, drive away, babe.” I got into the passenger side and we took off to Volterra. It was a quiet drive as Isabella maneuvered the car around the narrow streets before pulling into the main drive. 

 

“I don’t like using the tunnel and besides, Heidi said she reserved us a couple spots in the barn.” 

 

She parked the car and as I was shuttin’ the door, I watched as Peter and Char got out of their car. Peter had the look of a kid in a candy store as he took in all the cars and the carved wooden beams. Heidi and Jane appeared wearing their guard cloaks and I noticed Isabella straightening hers out as we greeted each other. As we walked towards the castle and then the throne room, Heidi told Peter that she would give him a tour after we were done, much to my brother’s delight. I watched as Jane and Char linked arms and shared war stories, stopping only when we reached a set of double doors. 

 

Jane walked into the throne room first to announce our arrival and we all followed Heidi at the appropriate signal. Knowin’ it was a more formal gathering than our private audience the other night, Isabella and I walked close together but tried not to do anything that would draw Eddie’s ire. We needed answers and it was Isabella’s suggestion that we try to look as casual as possible in an effort to get him to talk.

 

I figured it was worth a shot as Isabella walked ahead and greeted the kings along with her sisters. Peter, Char and I bowed our greetings to them.

 

“I have some news you will all find interesting, especially Mr. Whitlock and Isabella,” Aro announced to the audience and called for some guards to enter. 

 

I tried not to laugh as Tanya was escorted into the room. She couldn’t walk with her missing limbs so she was actually given a wheelchair was pushed to the front of the room. She wore some wild lookin’ hot pink tights under a bright ass green dress that was way too big for her. Everybody gathered there tried not to laugh even though the scene before us was outrageous to say the least. Her eyes were downcast and she was absolutely miserable and scared as hell as she was brought before the three kings.

 

Aro started to pace around before addressing the room. “Ms. Denali here signed a confession not more than ten minutes ago.” Aro turned and grinned at Jane. “It seems she has been a willing but uninformed participant in the Cullen boy’s schemes. If she posed as his wife, he promised her that she could have a share of the males once they were no longer of use. She never dared ask about the plans and just went along with the boy in hopes he would change his mind and take her as a mate one day,” Aro said, actually using air quotes over the word ‘mate’. 

 

Caius shook his head and muttered with disgust, “What is wrong with you animal drinkers wanting to believe a mere boy and without question. Unbelievable.” 

 

“If... if I may your highness,” Tanya stuttered. “I have always loved Edward and his family never steered us wrong at all. It wasn’t until we heard he met a human girl that things changed. It... it had to be her fault... they were destroyed soon after,” she blurted out.

 

Aro looked over towards us and waved Isabella over. “Ms. Denali, did you ever meet this girl you are referring to?” He was full of skepticism as he continued to interrogate her. 

 

“N-no your highness... I was just told that she was human. I don’t know her name. She... she must have corrupted my Eddie and the family,” she continued to babble. “I never met her but if... if I did, I’d destroy that scheming human.” 

 

I watched as Aro gave a slight hand signal and Isabella stopped walkin’ when she got two yards from Tanya. 

 

I didn’t feel anything unusual comin’ off of Tanya- just fear, the feeling that she wanted to make it out of this mess and a devotion to someone, which I guessed was Eddie. I felt amusement comin’ off of Isabella; clearly she had enjoyed Tanya’s story.

 

Marcus stood up and glared at Tanya. “She has no bond with the boy that would be strong enough to be a mate’s bond. It is familial at best and even then, it isn’t strong.” He placed his hand on Aro’s and I watched as Aro saw the very thing that Marcus had seen. Afterwards, Aro looked at Caius and nodded before the three of them conferred in quiet voices. 

 

“Very well, any last words, Ms Denali?” Caius sneered. He walked towards Tanya. The entire room was silent as we watched his next move. 

 

“No,” she whispered and swallowed. Fear and defeat rolled thickly off of her. 

 

“Well, we have no use for a succubus,” Caius began and nodded at Isabella. In a split second, Tanya was out of her chair and pinned against the polished marble floor. She began to sob. 

Caius hissed, “That human you were talking about, is none other than Isabella here.” 

 

Isabella smiled wickedly at Tanya. “So, you want to destroy me?” 

 

Tanya began shriekin’ and sobbin’ uncontrollably at the sight of Isabella. Fear threatened to drown her as she continued to look at my woman with wide eyes.

 

“Isabella? Do you have need of her?” Aro called out.

 

“No, I think I’ve made my point with her,” Isabella responded with a bow. 

 

“Felix!” Caius called out. “If she talks, you make damn sure we get a report of it. You’re dismissed.” 

 

A big hulkin’ figure appeared from behind me. He grinned as he grabbed the succubus by the throat and nodded at Isabella. She immediately let go of her shield and we watched as Felix picked Tanya up and tossed her roughly over his shoulder. As he walked away with her, Tanya’s shrieks and sobs echoed down the hall before they finally disappeared. 

 

“Well, that was fun,” Aro said as he got up from his chair again. “Isabella, stay here please. Jane, be at the ready as we bring the other prisoner.” 

 

Jane quickly looked at me and I felt her concern. I nodded and prepared myself to unleash somethin’ wicked if needed. 

 

The guards also wheeled Eddie in. His face was scratched up and it appeared that his clothes had been carefully chosen as well. He had a John Deere trucker hat, an Ed Hardy shirt and some pants that were not quite pants and not quite shorts. He was pissed off at bein’ here in front of everybody again but his emotions weren’t all over the place like they were when we first ran into him. 

 

“Ah, Edward Cullen, I see you received clothes from the tourist pile as well,” Aro chuckled as he walked around Eddie. He looked up and addressed the audience. “Last we met, I ordered Cullen here be sent to solitary. He was given one animal to feed so his parts could be reattached. The next day, Jane broke fresh vials of blood along his door and purposely escorted some injured humans from our tourist round up past his cell. He was brought up and I saw that he was hungry but less erratic in his thoughts. They were more centered around blood. I sent him back down to solitary and he was given a small deer to feed on. The process was repeated earlier this morning and he just finished a rabbit before this meeting.” Aro grabbed Edward’s arm and laughed as he must have seen the word “asshole” scrawled across it. 

 

We all watched Aro’s expression as he looked at Eddie and then at the crowd. He was deep in thought as he released Edward and headed back to Marcus. Once again, they conferred with each other for a few minutes before Marcus held his hand out to his brother so Aro could read his thoughts. 

 

“I managed to get more information. We’re getting close but still nothing that has to do with his study and research. Ms. Denali was certainly not a mate. However, there is a bond between young Edward and someone else, but we aren’t sure if it was the bond with Carlisle; we may never know.” Aro looked at Isabella before continuing. “He is still convinced that he is your mate, Isabella. and the reason he wants to save you is because he believes you’re a soulless monster especially as a human drinker who is associated with the Volturi.” Aro ground out. "He believes you'd be better off if you were once again human."

 

Caius smashed his palm onto his stone chair. Everyone in the room emanated disgust and hatred at the broken boy that sat in the wheelchair. He stared at Isabella and I could feel both the lust comin’ off of him and the waves of disgust from her.

 

“Love, I can save you. This is dangerous! I promise you, Bella I will protect you!” 

 

I bit back a growl when I felt Isabella’s love hit me hard and I felt Peter’s hand on my shoulder. I tried to calm myself as I watched to see what would happen next. 

 

“Silence! Guards, take him back!” Aro commanded. His hands were flexing and I felt he wanted to kick Eddie’s ass. 

 

Isabella glared at Edward and blurred right up to him. “I should fucking destroy you. But I won’t. Not yet.” 

 

Several burly guards pushed him away quickly but he kept talking about savin’ Isabella. 

 

She looked up at the three kings after he was removed from the room. “Your highnesses, may I request that I get his head once you are through with him.”

 

“Isabella we will consider it. He is hiding something and we haven’t been able to figure out what it is just yet. Until then, he’s the property of Volterra. We will request Chelsea's services next.” 

 

Aro looked at the audience and nodded. “Nothing will happen the rest of today. We’ll adjourn for 24 hours.”

 

After the room emptied, Aro motioned for all of us to come up. “We’re close but he’s hiding something deep within him. It has to be a secret he’s known for a long time given how deeply the memory is buried. That bond I mentioned... Marcus can you elaborate?”

 

“Certainly,” Marcus said as he stood up. “Remember I mentioned the opacity of the bonds? Well, I don’t know if it is his mental status, his lost limb or a combination of the two, but his bond is cloudy, murky even. Even in my darkest of days, my bonds weren’t like that. If I have to venture a guess, I think the destroyed limbs are a big factor.”

 

Aro continued. “We’ll get it out of him but we need to be methodical. Mr. Whitlock, in the meantime, we have set up a make shift communications area in the library. Please, feel free to use it while you’re here and just send us a copy of the report as usual.” 

 

I nodded and Isabella and I said goodbye to Peter and Char as Heidi escorted them to the barn. The kings nodded at us as they stepped out another set of doors. 

 

Once we got to the library, I checked my reports and found one from Serena. Isabella grabbed my hand as we read the report. 

 

_Phoenix Cartel Field Report:_

 

_Jackie went back to the restaurant and talked to the staff about this Phoenix message. She was able to glean from an employee that the message given to Miguel came from a female. That is all. Meanwhile, Miguel is scheduled to be deported at 1730 today. Shall I have Jackie follow him to the airport?_

 

I looked at Isabella and we discussed the possibilities of what could happen once he returned to the country. 

 

“Jasper, it might flush out this Phoenix chick. Fuck, if it is that pixie, I’m fucking sticking her head on a goddamn pike and lighting it on fire,” she growled through clenched teeth. 

 

“I made damn sure I set her gaping throat wound on fire it so it is highly unlikely she survived something like that. Fuck! I should have dismembered them all before I lit the house up,” I said quietly, pissed at myself. “I was just so fuckin’ tired of their bullshit and I just wanted to get the fuck out of there.” 

 

“Stop. Don't blame yourself. We need to look at it as good thing that Eddie is alive,” Isabella said, holding both my hands. “We know there is a connection with the Phoenix cartel, we need to find out why. We’ll get there. In the meantime, let’s get Jackie to tail him to the airport and then we’ll let it all play out and see what happens with Miguel and Phoenix.” 

 

I typed out my response and we walked back to the barn. 

 

“Come on, let’s go on our roadtrip,” Isabella said with a grin. 

 

I smiled back. “Yes, ma’am.” 

 

During the car ride, we went from singin’ songs to more stories of her as a newborn vampire. I told her that she seemed, based on my experience, very controlled during her first year and she thought it was partly because she was ready and had accepted that life. She said Gianna had been quite controlled as well and she had also decided to become a vampire prior to her change. 

 

I asked her why Felix had dibs on Tanya back at the castle and she explained that it was because he was the most senior guard. “If nobody requests to destroy a prisoner, like I did with Eddie, the honor automatically goes to the most senior that is present. I could have destroyed her but she wasn’t worth my time.” 

 

“Babe, do we need to set up surveillance on the rest of the Denalis? If what Tanya said was true, then the others night feel the same way or even be a part of Cullen mess.” 

 

“Demetri and Gianna have been keeping an eye on them. They are watching the Russian mob and decided to add Alaska to the mix. The Denali property has been bugged since the fire.”

 

The sun sank as we got to the coast and took a drive along the winding road. We let the windows down and breathed in the warm salty air. Isabella sat as close as she could to me, given the center console between us. 

 

I drove us around some towns and finally came to a clearing and parked the car. Humans hadn’t been around here for a while which gave us much needed privacy and quiet. 

 

When we got out of the car, Isabella grabbed a blanket from the back and handed it to me. Char’s scent was on the blanket and I figured she must have left it in our car when we were in the library. Isabella was nervous and excited about somethin’ as she headed towards the trunk of the car.

 

“Can you pick a spot for us?” She looked at me, biting her lip, and even in the moonlight I could see her anxiousness in her beautiful crimson eyes. 

 

I also felt a bit of excitement comin’ off of her, so I was gonna be on alert until she was sitting next to me. “Sure,” I whispered. I tipped my hat at her before settin’ out towards a rocky cliff that overlooked the sea. 

 

As I laid the blanket on the ground I realized, she wasn’t the only one that was nervous. I was jumpy as fuck as well. A slight breeze swirled around, causing the nearby trees to rustle softly. I looked out towards the Mediterranean Sea and saw the reflection of the moon and the waves moving slowly, focusing on anything to keep me distracted for the time bein’. I caught Isabella’s scent as the breeze blew out towards the ocean and I took a big inhale. As she approached me, I could feel that she had put her shield all the way up since her emotions were muted once again. 

 

I took my hand out of my pocket and turned towards her as she sat down and set a basket behind her. She was still nervous as fuck and she couldn’t look at me for some reason.

 

“I... I have something for you,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.

 

“Babe? You alright?”

 

She nodded and turned around to grab the basket. “Here.”

 

I took my hat off and set it on top of a rock close by. I looked at her and then at the basket and noticed she was still bitin’ that lip of hers. I leaned over and gently brushed my fingertips across her jaw and tilted her head towards me. “Isabella, I love you.” I pulled her slowly closer to me before wrappin’ my arms around her and sending her all the love I had for her.

 

“I love you too Jasper. I... I’m just nervous about giving this to you.” Her eyes stayed downcast as she opened the basket.

 

I looked inside and saw a couple wine bottles. I looked at her before reachin’ in and grabbing one by the neck. It reminded me of the Cullens and how they bought Champagne during New Years just to be human-like and pop open the bottles. Of course, that shit smelled nasty and it would get all over the floor but they didn’t care; it was actin’ human and playing the role that was more important.

 

I shook my head out of those thoughts. This was definitely not the right time to think of those assholes. All of them, save for Eddie, had been destroyed, at least I hoped that was true. I turned the bottle over and looked for a label.

 

_**I.M.S. 2006** _

 

I looked at the bottle and then at Isabella and then back again.

 

_No fuckin’ way._

 

“Isabella, is this...” I whispered softly, holdin’ her tight against me. “Is this your blood?”

 

She nodded against my shoulder. “Remember when Marcus pulled me aside to talk to me?” Her voice was even quieter than before. If it weren’t for my supernatural hearing, I probably wouldn’t have heard her. “That was what it was about. He saw my strong bond with someone, even as a human, and felt compelled to save this so I could... um... offer it to them. I didn’t know about it because they told me that it was going to be used for research, but Marcus said they took maybe a total of two pints while my sisters had no more than a couple gulps each. He said he never told me because we didn’t know who the bond was for. Not knowing about it actually made it easier, you know?” 

 

She wrung her hands anxiously and I didn't have to use my gift to know that the way she blurted all that out, she was extremely nervous about her what she was offering to me. I rubbed my hands down her back, trying to soothe her. “Isabella... shh... this is an amazin’ gift you’ve given’ me. Thank you.” I closed my eyes and leaned my head against hers. It was overwhelmin’, knowing that I’d be able to have a piece of her as a human, that her blood had been saved for me.

 

“There is another bottle in the basket, but there is a total of six bottles altogether. I was assured by Marcus that it doesn’t have to be cut with alcohol but I did bring some in the car just in case,” she whispered nervously.

 

_Six bottles... 4 liters of blood... more than anybody ever had of her._

 

I set her on my lap as I grabbed the bottle and pulled the cork off. The scent of her blood wafted into the air and I took a deep breath.

 

“Fuck, Isabella, you smelled so fuckin’ good,” I growled out.

 

Isabella sniffed a couple times. “I guess I did, didn’t I?

 

I brought the bottle to my lips and took a pull. It was a little more concentrated and maybe slightly thicker than fresh from the tap blood. No matter, it was pure human Bella and images of that shy teenage girl flooded my brain. My hands gripped her hips a little tighter against me as I drank some more.  


“Well?” Isabella asked, her eyes staring at my shirt.

 

I felt worry and apprehension and lots of vulnerability comin’ through her shield.

 

I lifted her chin so she looked at me. “I love it. Thank you so much, Isabella. Short of changin’ you, this is the most amazing gift you could give me. I will truly savor this. Thank you.”

 

I kissed her lips and hers parted in response. Her tongue traced mine my own lips and she moaned as our kiss deepened. I could taste both human Bella and my Isabella in my mouth. The sensation was fuckin’ hotter than sin, especially when she started moanin’ and whimperin’.

 

“Fuck! I didn’t realize how good I tasted,” she moaned.

 

I watched as she took the bottle and poured a little into the palm of her hand and shyly tasted her own blood.

 

“Oh my god, how did you resist me?” she mused as she took one of my hands and poured a little blood into my palm and then lapped it up, all the while starin’ at me.

 

_Fuck, that was sexy as hell._

 

I watched as her eyes rolled into the back of her head. “Oh fuck, I taste better on you.” She looked at me with a smirk on her face as she brought the bottle up and offered me more.

 

My eyes never left her as I took a couple long chugs before settin’ the bottle back down. I grabbed the back of her head and pulled her to me. My lips crashed into hers as once again we tasted each other. Growls and moans filled the air as our hands roamed up and own. I pushed her body down onto the blanket with my own as we continued to kiss.

 

It was my turn to smirk at her as I grabbed her silk blouse and tore it in half, leavin’ her in her lacy black bra. My hands caressed and kneaded her skin as we continued to kiss and lick and nip at each other. I wasn’t plannin’ to take it much further but my siren was callin’ to me. 

 

I bent my head down towards the valley between her tits and snapped her bra in half with my teeth. Fuck, she’s so fuckin’ beautiful. She had dropped her shield after I tasted her blood and kissed her. I could feel all the love and lust that was rollin’ off of her. The moonlight made her skin shimmer and I hovered over her and kissed her scars on her shoulders. Next to the mark I gave her on her neck, her shoulder scars were sexy as fuck. I stopped kissing her and grinned when she whimpered in protest.

 

Her smolderin' eyes watched me as I took the bottle of blood and took a swig before drizzling a small stream down her chest. She bit her lip as she watched me lick her blood off her body. Her head dropped down onto the blanket as I made damn sure her nipples were thoroughly cleansed of the blood. Fuck, every inch of her exposed body was clean of any blood by the time I was done. I poured a little more along her collarbone and lapped it up greedily. 

 

My hands roamed over her body as I lifted her skirt and felt her wetness before I grabbed her lace panties and ripped them off of her. The scent of her arousal was thick in the air as one and then two of my fingers entered her. I watched her writhin’ underneath me; whimpers and soft growls escaped her lips. I grabbed the bottle again and drizzled some more blood along her collarbone. The blood... her blood around her beautiful neck and along my mark was my undoing. Just as her walls tightened around my fingers, I licked the mark on her neck and bit down. She screamed out in pleasure as I brought her into an earth shattering orgasm. I slowly brought her back down before sealin’ up the bite and slippin’ my fingers out. She watched me with hooded eyes as I tasted another essence of my Isabella. She grabbed my hair and pulled me into a hard kiss. 

 

Fuck, I was gettin’ too distracted. I needed to get this done before we ended up fuckin’ out here on the edge of the cliff; not that I would mind and I doubt Isabella would either but first things first.

 

“Darlin’?” I kissed her hard once more before unbuttoning my shirt, leaving the black wife-beater shirt I had on underneath. “I have somethin’ important to say but I don’t want to be distracted lookin’ at your fuckin’ sexy body.” I held her close before kissing her and givin’ her my shirt to slip on. “Sorry ‘bout your bra.” I shrugged.

 

Isabella took my shirt and laughed as she looked down at her chest. “It isn’t like they’ll ever going to sag or anything. I probably wouldn’t really need to wear them but you know...” she said with a shrug. “... old habit and all”. She buttoned the shirt, leaving a bit of cleavage showing and sat up. “So what what’s on your mind, cowboy?”

 

I got up from the blanket and started pacin’. I raked my hand through my hair.

 

_Quit frettin’ you’re mates... remember?!_

 

I took a deep breath before I sat in front of her took her hands into mine. “Isabella, in the short time we’ve been together, I’ve come to fall in love with you. I had never felt so strongly about someone until I saw you at the villa. I know we’re mated and our bond is strong but first and foremost, I am a man and you’re a woman. I wanted to get to know you and have you know me.” I took her hands to my lips. “You’re the best thing that has come to me in a long fuckin’ time. What you’ve given me tonight touched me deep and meant so fuckin’ much.” I closed my eyes. I was feelin’ overwhelmed by the moment as I felt all of Isabella’s love wrap itself around me like a blanket. I was home. She was my home.

 

“I could never give you anything close to what you gave to me tonight. I never expected anything like that.” I sat up and looked at her right in the eyes. She looked at me and took my hand between hers, bringing it to her heart.

 

“Jasper, I love you. So much... so fucking much that I couldn’t imagine...” she said in a broken whisper and I felt her emotions. She was as overwhelmed with it all as I was.

 

We held each other close and breathed in each other’s scents. I knew exactly what she was feeling; I couldn’t imagine not havin’ this again. Our lives were so entwined now that I knew it would destroy us if we lost each other.

 

_Nice... wanna be more emo, fucker?_

 

I mentally shook my head, clearin’ my thoughts. I didn’t realize I was _that_ fuckin’ nervous about things until those damn emo thoughts came crawlin’ into my brain.

 

I took a breath and reached into my pocket. “I know as mates we don’t have to be married but darlin’ the only thing I have from my human days is my last name and I’d love to give that to you. Isabella, will you marry me?”

 

Isabella cupped her hands against my face. “Jasper, yes. YES!” She smiled and a sheen of venom caused her eyes to shimmer in the moonlight.

 

I took her left hand and slipped the ring onto her finger. She still hadn’t looked at the ring or anything; she was just starin’ into my eyes and I was filled with her intense love. “Isabella,” I whispered. “Look at your ring.”

 

“Oh... Oh!” She exclaimed and looked down. She gasped as she stared at it and then she looked at me. “Jasper... it is beautiful... it was the color of your human eyes wasn’t it?”

 

She knew. She fuckin’ knew the significance of the ring and I was so fuckin’ happy that someone finally got me that I quickly stood up and grabbed her into an embrace before spinnin’ us around.

 

“Isabella, I fuckin’ love you,” I whispered against her neck. “It is a bluish grey diamond and it was the closest thing I could find that would have matched my human eyes when a storm rolled through.”

 

“I love it,” she said as she stared at her hand. “I was going to propose to you tonight after you finished the bottle, which was another reason you felt all my crazy emotions." She pulled me back down onto the blanket and put my hat atop my head. "It means so much and I look forward to being your wife, your mate. I’m yours, cowboy.”

 

 


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20**

 

**Songs -**

**Ain't Nothin' Bout You – Brooks & Dunn**

**Breakdown - Tantric**

 

**BPOV**

 

His hat fell off my head as I reached over reached around his neck and pulled him closer to me. My breaths were labored and venom began to pool in my mouth.

 

His scent and my arousal were making me dizzy, if that was even possible. The pleasure and sounds we were making were my undoing as I ran my nose along his neck. 

 

“Fuck, Isabella, you’re so tight,” he growled out. “I know you want to. Do it!”

 

I licked his neck, feeling the mark I had given him, and my teeth sank into his flesh. He moaned and hissed as his hands moved from my back down to my hips. His fingers gripped me tight.

 

We continued to rock our hips together frantically, the tension building up between us. My legs trembled as they continued to clench around his torso. His hands gripped my hips even harder, fingers digging into my flesh while I clenched mine on his shoulders. I growled and moaned through my teeth and suddenly unlatched from his neck, screaming his name once again into the night air. He thrust one more time before roaring out my name, his head thrown back as he held me tight against him. 

 

We slowly loosened our grip on each other as we came back to earth. We were breathing heavily as our heads touched. I bent my head and resealed my mark as he caressed my back.

 

Jasper moved his hat out of the way just as we collapsed onto the blanket. We both smiled as we looked at it on the edge of the material. I had grabbed it off his head when I slid down his length. How I managed to keep it on for so long, I had no idea. 

 

We were still connected to each other as we touched and kissed and purred. The only other sounds were the waves from the sea. “I think we need to get going if we have to be back at the castle at daylight,” I whispered against his neck, relishing the weight of his body on me. 

 

“If you keep feelin’ this happy, I might not want to let you go,” Jasper said, propping his head up on his arm. 

 

“Mmm.” I smiled. “I wouldn’t want you to,” I murmured as I ran my fingers down his biceps.

 

He closed his eyes and smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t. Forever Isabella.” He gave me one more kiss before easing out of me and pulling me up into his arms. “I guess we need to get dressed.” 

 

I sighed and agreed. As much as I wanted to stay here and enjoy each other’s company, I knew we had an important meeting with the kings and I hoped like hell there would be answers. My shirt and underwear were nothing but scraps of fabric now and from the looks of it, so was my skirt. I was glad that Jasper’s button down was long enough to cover my ass as I buttoned it up and pulled his belt off of his jeans to tie around my waist. I laughed when he realized that I had ripped off a few of the loops earlier in my haste to strip him of his clothes. At least his jeans made it, but his boxer briefs were another story. I reached up on a nearby branch and grabbed the black shirt he had on and handed it to him.

 

He picked up the now empty bottle and put it back in the basket. I threw on my shoes and folded up the blanket as Jasper walked over to pick up his hat. I wrapped my free arm around his waist as we walked together back to the car. 

 

“Have I told you lately that I fucking love you, Jasper Whitlock?” I asked as he sped along some crazy s-curves. I was struggling to get close to him but the stupid center console was preventing me from getting too close. I wanted to rip it off and if it was my own car, I probably would have. Since it was a rental, I did the best I could to be close to Jasper as he raced down the winding road back. 

 

“I don’t think I’ll ever tire of hearin’ that. I fuckin’ love you,” he said softly. “So what you said earlier about you proposin’ to me… you were really going to?”

 

I nodded as I leaned my head on his shoulder. “Yeah, but I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about marriage, given you were married once. Before I met you, the thought of marriage was something I hadn’t considered, at least, not at that time. Given my human experiences with the idea, with my parents and friends, it just wasn’t something that appealed to me, you know? But then with you, finding out we’re mates and all, I don’t know, it made sense all of a sudden.” I sighed. “I probably don’t make sense.” 

 

“I understand... it just felt right,” Jasper said, putting his arm around my shoulder. 

 

“Mmm.” I closed my eyes and smiled as I tucked my legs under me and snuggled the best I could against him. It wasn’t that I needed to be close to him; we had just claimed each other again, after all. I just wanted to be close to him. It felt too good not to. 

 

We arrived at the villa with about an hour before dawn. I popped open the trunk and grabbed the rest of the bottles but I was intercepted by Jasper as he reached for them, so I grabbed the blanket and the basket instead. 

 

We took a shower together and then threw on some clothes before we headed outside. As the sun rose, Jasper held me tightly against his arms and I greeted Charlie. I told him in my head how Jasper had proposed to me tonight and that I said yes. I told Charlie that I missed him and assured him that I was happy. 

 

Jasper brushed his fingers through my hair and whispered against my ear, “I think we need to get ready and go.” 

 

I sat up and we walked back into the house to grab my cloak before we headed down the stairs.

 

“Lovebirds! Hurry up! I get shotgun this time, Cookie. You and kitten can sit in the back,” Peter announced just as we reached the front door.

 

Jasper and Peter helped me and Char into the car before we all sped back to the castle. I was staring at my ring, probably with a goofy grin on my face, when I heard Char gasp out loud. 

 

“That ring is gorgeous, Cookie!” she said excitedly and grabbed my hand to take a closer look. “Wow, congratulations you two.” She grinned and pulled me into a hug. Peter had turned around and was smiling as well. 

 

“Hell yeah! I’ll be related to a fuckin’ Volturi bad ass!” Peter grinned while Jasper shook his head and rolled his eyes. “Will that give me access to the barn and permission to drive the cars?” 

 

I laughed. “This isn’t an All Access Pass, Polaroid, though I am sure you could visit the cars on a regular basis if you want.” I gave him a playful punch on the arm as Jasper headed to off the main road. I never had a brother before. Alec was Jane’s brother but he was sort of aloof and well, we just never saw each other as siblings; we were probably more like cousins. 

 

As we neared the castle, I tried not to get too optimistic that we’d get answers. I worried my lip as I stared out the window. 

 

“Isabella? Are you alright?” Jasper asked, sensing the change of moods.

 

“Yeah. I am trying not to get my hopes up that there will be answers, you know?” I sighed. “I want answers about the Cullens and why they fucked with you like that. I want to know what the connection is between Edward and Phoenix. And I am trying not to put all my eggs into the crazy head’s basket you know? Especially as fucked up as he is,” I blurted out. 

 

“Cookie, I’m not sayin’ this as though I have a snapshot of what happens or anything, but maybe just be prepared, just in case. I’m not tryin’ to sound pessimistic, but given that he’s the last Cullen and he’s crazy as fuck, you may not get all the answers,” Peter said quietly. Jasper nodded in agreement.

 

“As much as I want answers, I am tryin’ not to get my hopes up either, babe,” Jasper said with a quick turn of his head. 

 

Char grabbed my hand. “You aren’t alone in this; neither of you are now. That is what should be most important.” 

 

I hugged her back just as we reached the barn. Jane met us at the driveway and pointed to the open doors. As we drove by, she directed us to the empty stall they had left for us. Heidi and Jane greeted me as I got out of the car and slipped my cloak on. They both squealed with delight as they saw my ring and pulled me into hugs before hugging Jasper then Char and finally Peter. Our celebration was short lived as we headed towards the castle on the way to the throne room. 

 

“Jane, do we have time to check in with Serena?” I asked as we neared the intersecting corridors. 

 

“Um, ten minutes enough?” Jane asked and I nodded. 

 

“We’ll be there in a few, save us a spot,” Jasper called out to Peter and Char before we headed straight to the library. 

 

“Good thing we’re here and the lines are already secure,” I exclaimed as he fired up the computer. 

 

“Yeah, hopefully we’ll get something from her.” 

 

_Phoenix Cartel, Field Report URGENT_

 

_I instructed Jackie to follow Miguel and observe. Sure enough, he was deported in the evening. In the meantime, I sent a team to survey the airport where he was scheduled to arrive and paid off some officials to make sure they processed Miguel’s paperwork. Don’t worry, these folks are corrupt already and what we did was not an unusual occurrence._

 

_As the plane landed, a blacked out Range Rover arrived and although we didn’t see the person talking, we knew it was a female and her quick movements indicated that she was a vampire. Her cohorts called her ‘la viuda de negro’ - the black widow, which was ironic because my team swears she was clad in white. We couldn’t get a face though. She was definitely not Volturi. From the looks of it, after they picked up the boy, he was either bitten to be changed or drained. They didn’t notice us because my team was far enough away not to avoid being sensed._

 

_In the meantime, what do you want us to do? Please advise. Since she is a vampire, we have to pull back a little._

 

Fuck, we were dealing with one of our own. I looked at Jasper and shook my head. 

 

“We have to let the kings know. In the meantime, I’ll tell Serena that we’ll let them know and we’ll get their advice ASAP. If they can still continue to spy on Phoenix from a distance, they need to do so. If not, they need to figure out a way to gather intel. We’ll get back to her in a few hours,” he said. 

 

“Good thinking,” I replied. “They are not going to be pleased with this news. We’re definitely up against an enemy and they’ll want to see to it that justice is served. Also, can you find out if Serena can safely gather intel and get a picture of this black widow. That way we can provide them with enough evidence to take the next step.” 

 

“Yep, on it,” he said as he finished typing out the response and copied Aro and Caius before hitting send.

 

We headed back to the throne room and when we entered, I noticed immediately that a few more guards were present this time than before. Chelsea was standing to one side of the room and I nodded to her briefly as I walked by. We were friendly but never seemed to move beyond that. Jane had taken her usual position and Heidi left after saying that she would see us later; today was a tourist day and she needed to get things prepared. The leaders hadn’t arrived yet so I whispered quietly to Jasper, Peter and Char who the new attendees were and quickly explained that this was set up much like a trial. 

 

I also noticed some random vampires. I knew that the Volturi entertained guests frequently and on occasion, nomads would also visit. Since the room was set up like a trial, it was not a surprise to see unknown vampires in attendance.

 

The large double doors opened and Renata entered the room, followed by Aro, Marcus and Caius with Alec bringing up the rear. All heads turned and there were faint murmurs from the audience. I mentioned to the others that this must be huge for both Renata and Alec to show up. I also explained that Renata had started her life as Aro’s personal body guard but as her gift had matured and she had proved her loyalty over time, she was now in charge of shielding all three kings. We watched as Jane and Alec hugged and she spoke quietly while looking over at us. Alec smiled as he turned, nodding his head in greeting. 

 

The leaders walked up to the dais and sat down, conversing quietly on their own. As they looked over in our direction. Caius motioned Renata over to him and pointed to the balcony up above. With a knowing nod, she exited the room, presumably to observe them and shield them from up above. I looked over at Jasper and he shrugged. I assumed it wasn’t anything unusual, especially given that she hadn’t been around until today. Aro stood up and the soft conversational tones around the room were brought to a halt. Aro made his usual greeting and reminded the crowd that the person in question was a mind reader and to make sure they did their due diligence in keeping information away from his mind. 

 

“We have made some progress,” Aro began as the sound of wheels could be heard from outside the room. “I have asked Chelsea to bond young Edward to the Volturi for the time being. Afterwards, he seemed less erratic and was rewarded with a basket full of small woodland creatures to devour this early this morning.” Soft chuckles filled the room at his statement.

 

Aro looked at Jane and nodded and I saw her give Jasper a small knowing smile. I reached over and squeezed Jasper’s hand. While we were getting ready to go dancing the other night, Jane had told me that she had felt an instant kinship with Jasper because they both had such scary reputations and their gifts had some similar elements. She also mentioned that she had rarely felt so at ease when meeting others as she had when she met Char and Peter for the first time. Jane was beyond thrilled for my happiness. 

 

The door opened and Edward was wheeled in. I noticed that this time, Pierre, the radar scrambler, was also present. Edward was still wearing the same clothes as the day before but his eyes weren’t as crazy looking. 

 

I watched as Marcus studied Eddie for a few seconds before conferring with Aro while Caius continued to glare at the crowd. 

 

Aro cleared his throat to gather everybody’s attention. “Now then,” he began, stepping off the platform and looking pointedly at Pierre before heading directly over to Eddie. He reached for Eddie’s hand and held on for nearly 45 seconds. 

 

“Well!” Aro said angrily as he released Edward’s hand. “Mister Cullen, I see that you have come across a vampire named Victoria on more than one occasion? Please, explain yourself. Remember, I have seen your memories, so do remember that, my child.”

 

“Yes master,” Edward choked out. “I first came across her when the family introduced Bella to a game of vampire baseball. James, her mate was after my Bella and I helped her get to safety. Afterwards, when I got to Phoenix, I saved Bella by helping to destroy James and most importantly by preventing her from becoming a vampire by sucking the venom out of her wrist.” 

 

I narrowed my eyes at him. He sounded smug and the twisted history he was relaying had me thinking that he must have been immersed into such a thick web of lies that he didn’t even know what was real and what was fabricated. I looked at Jasper, knowing damn well he was the one who destroyed James, not Eddie. It was frustrating but I figured I would just have to read in between the lines to get the gist of the entire story.

 

“Go on,” Aro encouraged him. 

 

“Yes, master. Nearly five years ago, I saw her on video and informed an acquaintance of the family who she was.”

 

Growls filled the air as the realization struck that he might have had a hand in Victoria’s death. She was well liked by all the guards and, of course, she was Marcus’ mate. Eddie looked around the room and I could see he was confused by the commotion. Pierre smirked, knowing his gift was preventing Eddie from reading the minds in the room and from realizing the enormity of his actions. 

 

Aro raised his hands up in an effort to calm the crowd. He ghosted back up and conferred with Marcus briefly before giving patting him on his back and moving back to Edward.

 

“So what did your family acquaintance do with your information?” Aro asked gently. However, there was a fire in his eyes and I didn’t need Jasper’s gift to see that Aro was trying hard to maintain control. 

 

“I am not sure but I did emphasize she was dangerous,” he replied emphatically. 

 

There were more grumblings from the audience before they were asked to be silent again. 

 

“So what about Bella, Edward? If you’re mates, as you say you are, why were you able to leave her? How were you able to leave your mate like that? Didn't it bother you?” Marcus asked as he stepped off the dais and walked towards Edward. 

 

“What do you mean? I _am_ her mate. It was stupid that I left but I had to because I was a monster. She didn’t deserve this life,” Edward replied. “It was for her own good. As far as leaving, it wasn’t hard to. My father and his mate Esme were able to do things separately. All of my brothers and sisters were,” he continued, shrugging his shoulders. 

 

I rolled my eyes before looking at Jasper with a smile. I guess that theory about the Cullens not realizing the true meaning of mates was correct. The word was nothing more than a substitute for a spouse or significant other. It was probably all they knew if what Eddie said was correct and they had that need and desire to be as human as possible. 

 

Marcus and Aro narrowed their eyes at Edward before Marcus nodded and walked back to his throne and sat. 

 

Caius stood up and stalked down, his eyes never leaving Edward’s. When he got close, he started to circle around him. “Well, young Cullen, you mentioned a family acquaintance earlier. Would this be someone related to the Denalis?” he asked quietly. 

 

I knew had Edward not been bonded to the Volturi, Caius would have probably taken a different, harsher approach in interrogating him. 

 

“No, master, she isn’t. She was a friend of my sister Alice.” 

 

I looked over at Jasper at the mention of her name and he was staring intently at the scene before him, studying their faces from the looks of his eyes. He looked back down at me and kissed my hair before turning back to the trial taking place.

 

Caius nodded and continued slowly pacing around him. “How did your sister meet this friend of hers?” 

 

“It was on a trip to Paris. The first time she went on a trip without her mate. When she came back, she was hiding her thoughts. It wasn’t until a decade later that she confided to me about her friend. I saw that she had a special kinship with her and she was always happy to see her whenever they had the opportunity.”

 

Caius moved over to Aro and as they turned away from the audience to face the thrones, you could see they were talking to each other intently. As they neared the edge, Marcus stepped down and the three of them spoke rapidly and quietly so we couldn’t overhear it. 

 

“Very well. Mr. Jasper Whitlock, do you mind coming up here to answer some questions?” Aro asked. 

 

Jasper stood up and sent me his love as he walked confidently up to the front. I made sure my inner shield was secure so that Edward wouldn’t catch any glimpse of his mind, just to be safe. I looked over to Peter and Char and they reached over to squeeze my hand in reassurance as Jasper held out his hand voluntarily to Aro. 

 

Aro nodded and and touched Jasper’s hand. A minute later, he thanked Jasper and proceeded with his questions. “Jasper Whitlock, you were related to the subject, were you not?”

 

“Yes, sir, we were siblings when I was living with the Cullens.” 

 

“And you were with the seer, Alice, am I correct?” 

 

This was a known fact but since this was a trial, I knew these questions were necessary. I looked down at my ring and smiled, knowing what we had was so much more meaningful than what he had with her. I moved over so I was closer to Peter and Char. 

 

“We were married, yes.” 

 

Marcus walked down and continued with the questioning. “Now, were you mated to Alice?” 

 

“I was lead to believe, based on the Cullen family’s interpretation of the word ‘mate,’ that we were, but I now know for certain that we were not mates.” 

 

Marcus nodded and I could see he was trying to suppress a knowing smile. “And how do you know for certain?”

 

Jasper smiled and replied, “I’ve met my mate. Mate in the true sense of the vampire world." He glared pointedly at his former brother before continuing. "What we feel when we’re together is worlds apart from what I felt back then. She is my other half, and I’d be lost without her now. There is no way I’d be able to walk far away from her and stay away from her. We would both ache for each other.”

 

I smiled at those words because I knew I felt the exact same thing with him. 

 

Marcus nodded. “Is your mate here with you, Mr. Whitlock?” 

 

Jasper nodded. “Yes, sir, Isabella Charles is my mate.” He pointed to Edward. “He knows her by her human name, Bella Swan.” He looked over and I could see and feel his pride as he winked at me. 

 

I sent him my love and felt his own feelings wash over me. 

 

“No, that can’t be... you cannot be mates. She... she is my mate. Ache? Why would you want to feel that?” Edward blurted out. “Are you crazy?"

 

I watched as Jasper turned slowly to Edward and smirked. “I wouldn’t give up that feelin’ of absolute completion for anything in the world. You don’t get it, do you? The idea of being mated that Carlisle instilled in you was wrong. That isn’t bein’ a mate. I know now and I wouldn’t trade it for anything less.” He looked back towards the kings and they nodded to him. 

 

Caius stood and walked in front of the thrones, not quite stepping off the raised platform. “Mr. Whitlock, you’re gifted, correct?”

 

Jasper nodded. “I am an empath, yes, sir,” he replied. 

 

“So you’re able to read emotions?” 

 

“Yes, I can read them and I can manipulate them as well.” 

 

Caius looked into the audience before looking at Jasper. “What did you read off of young Cullen here?”

 

Jasper looked at Eddie for a second before taking a deep breath. “He believes what he says about Victoria bein’ a danger and how he saved Isabella when she was human. It also seems as though he’s holdin’ back about what he knows of this friend of Alice’s,” he bit out. “Finally, he is very confused about this whole idea of bein’ a mate. What he had learned from the Cullens is completely different than what he’s bein’ told now. The whole idea of feelin’ pain for someone or over someone is foreign to him.”

 

Caius nodded. “Thank you, You may return to your seat.” 

 

I moved over as Jasper sat down and put his arm around me. I got as close to him as I could without drawing too much attention. 

 

Caius began to pace again. “Edward Cullen,” he said quietly as he continued circling around him like prey. “You were a victim of a fire, were you not?” A small smirk escaped his lips as his circling became tighter and tighter.

 

“Yes. I was. It happened so fast. One minute I was sitting in front of the piano and then next I was frozen. I couldn’t move, I couldn’t think. All my senses were clouded and then I felt... tired. It was strange.” He looked around, apparently confused and searching for some sort of answer from anybody in the room. 

 

The kings looked in our direction and I could see some humor flash in Aro’s eyes. 

 

“The next thing I remember was the flames and smoke. My arm was on fire. My parents were screaming as they tried to escape the flames. I watched my family burn,” he whispered. He started to move his head from the kings to the audience and his eyes were starting to get that wild look again. “Emmett tore my arm off and he told me to run. His legs were on fire and it was creeping up to the rest of his body. The last thing I saw was him crawling over to Rose as he tried to cover her face, the flames already licking up her body. The screaming, my pain... it was too much but I got out. I ran towards the garage but the pain was overwhelming so I ran down towards the driveway... I don’t remember what happened next.”

 

Jasper stiffened at that point and looked at the kings. As Aro looked over, I saw Jasper shake his head. My guess was Edward had just lied.

 

Aro gave a slight nod and blurred right in front of Edward, patting his shoulder quickly. “Let’s take a small break and return at the top of the hour. Jane, please have Pierre and Chelsea escort Edward back to his cell. I believe a small basket of creatures will suffice,” he ordered as he continued to look at Edward. 

 

The guards nodded and quickly wheeled him out as Aro looked up at the balcony. Renata jumped down gracefully in front of Aro and I watched as they started to talk privately. 

 

I looked at Jasper and wondered if he was able to read what they were feeling. 

 

He turned to me and whispered quickly and quietly into my ear, “What he said about not rememberin’ was not entirely true, and his emotions were scattered when he was describin’ the fate of the Cullens. Some parts of it were true but, like his story about James, it was truth mixed with his fabrication. That is why Aro touched him at the end. He’s discovered something from that touch and he’s now talkin’ to Renata about the vision he saw, I’d imagine.” 

 

Peter looked over and muttered under his breath, “Fuck that is one fucked up family you got involved with, Major.” 

 

Jasper rolled his eyes. “Tell me something I don’t know.” He shook his head. “Unfuckin’ believeable.” He turned to look at me and grinned. “The only good thing that came out of it was meetin’ my Isabella.” 

 

I smiled and ran my fingers through his hair and whispered my love to him. I turned and looked over at Peter and Char and grabbed both of their hands and squeezed. “And if it weren’t for your brother and sister here, none of this would have happened. Sometimes the journey makes the end result all the more worthwhile.” 

 

“That it does babe, that it does,” Jasper said as he kissed my hand. 

 

Doors to the back of the room opened and Carina came in, escorted by Renata and Felix just in case the audience decided to take advantage of the Volturi human secretary. Renata must have left the room as the four of were talking. Carina bowed in front of Aro, handed him what looked like a sketchbook and was quickly escorted back out. 

 

“Glad I never had to be asked in here during a trial when I was their secretary,” I whispered with a grimace, remembering my clumsiness back then. “Having had to dress up in business wear and high heels, I probably would have fallen over right in the middle of the room in my haste and nervousness.” 

 

Jasper wrapped his arms around my waist and laughed. Peter and Char chuckled. 

 

“Were you really that clumsy?” Peter asked. 

 

“Yeah, I think Jane tried to convince the kings to bubble wrap me at one point.” 

 

We all laughed at that visual. 

 

“Actually just me, Isabella. But you went through your change before we could find enough to do the job,” Aro said with a smile as he headed our way. “Sorry for the interruption but I was wondering if you could help me, Whitlock.” 

 

I could tell from the way he addressed Jasper that this was business. 

 

“Sure, what do you need me to do? Is this about Phoenix? Do I need to leave the trial?” Jasper asked.

 

I was wondering if you’d recognize this?” Aro asked, holding up a sketch. 

 

It was a woman wearing a gauzy dress, drawn with an ethereal vibe. The expression on her face was strange. There was an emptiness about her and it wasn’t just in her eyes. 

 

Jasper looked at the drawing and was confused. “She looks familiar and you probably know why, but at the same time, she doesn’t. She looks... off.” 

 

I looked at the drawing again. “Could she be the black widow? I mean look at the dress.” 

 

“It was a pale color. It could very well be a connection but we won’t know for certain yet,” Aro responded, looking at the sketch one more time. “It was my same exact thought though, Whitlock, which is why I sent young Cullen off. I wasn’t sure if his vision was distorting this or not.” Aro pondered it some more before motioning the two of us away from the visiting vampires. “We received your report, which was why the trial started a little late. You know I don’t like to butt in and take over but I did let Serena know that a surveillance photo of whoever is in charge of Phoenix and the players involved would be most helpful and I told her to send it directly to me. I’ve informed Renata to intercept anything that comes in the next couple hours on my behalf.” 

 

“No, I think you’re right. It would explain why things were set up so quick,” Jasper said.

 

“Jasper? You said she looks familiar but not at the same time. Who are you thinking this is that would be known to the Volturi as well?” I asked and a sense of dread started to build from within me. Whoever this black widow was, she seemed to have gotten the Volturi involved and I started to think of who would want to take that much control. 

 

While our involvement in the human world of organized crime and drugs was obviously not known to humans, but most vampires knew of the Volturi and therefore knew of our efforts to continue providing means to keep vampires fed in a legitimate sort of way. Who would want to go against the leaders of our world? I thought of the possible reasons someone would want for defeating the Volturi. The wealth, the power and the potential to get involved in the drug trade worldwide as a means for gaining feeding grounds were all powerful incentives. 

 

_Feeding grounds._

 

I looked up at Jasper and remembered his stories of the Vampire Wars in the name of gaining feeding territory. I looked first at Jasper and then at Aro. I gasped. 

 

_Oh shit. NO!_

 

The look on Jasper’s face told me he must have thought the same thing. We both looked over at Peter and Char and from the way Char was comforting Peter, he must have gotten a snapshot of it just now. 

 

I must have been in shock as we looked at Aro and he nodded. “I can’t say for certain until we get an actual visual of her.” 

 

Peter and Char came up to us. “No need, but you can wait for the photo. I just saw a snapshot, Major.”

 

Jasper nodded. “Peter’s visions are pretty accurate so I think we’ve got to prepare for a possible battle with my creator, Maria.” 

 


	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is 10 more plus the epilogue so we're in the homestretch!!
> 
> Many, many thanks to the awesome heavyinfinity and to my pre-readers JaspersBella and SparklingFae who helped me what seemed like eons ago when these were still rough chapters. JaspersWoman who provided me with tons of feedback on this chapter. As always, wify DarkNNerdy who usually provides me with some awesome music such as the ones below. 
> 
> I think this is one of the longest chapters in the whole story so sit back and enjoy. 
> 
> My initials have never been SM but I just like to have my way

**Chapter 21**

 

_**Songs:** _

_**Cowboy Song – Seether** _

_**Your Betrayal – Bullet for my Valentine** _

 

 

**JPOV**

 

_Fuckin’ Maria._

 

It had been a while since I thought about killin’ the Hell Bitch. It was frequently on my mind around the time Peter and Char helped me escape, sometimes to the point of paranoia, especially the first couple years into my new civilian life. The images were always the same back then; I would imagine grabbing her neck and ripping her head off her body; I could even hear the sounds of her wails and screams as I set pieces of her on fire while I made her watch. I wanted her to die a slow and painful death, not only for putting me through that pain and anguish but also for the atrocities she committed against both humans and newborns.

 

My peaceful life with the Cullens, however, had left me complacent, if truth be known. I grew soft and if I could have forgotten the horrors of my past, I probably would have. However, the distrust and disdain over my scars the family always sent me kept the past alive to me. 

 

Alice... did she know who Maria was? Why? Why would she befriend her and keep it a secret? Would there be answers? And now the Volturi were involved, or were they all along? Fuck, so many fuckin’ questions swirled in my brain.

 

I thought back about how things were after I left the Cullens, especially when I was staying with my brother and sister. It was hard not to be reminded of Maria around them. If it weren’t for Peter and Char, I’d either still be her fuckin’ minion or, even more likely, ashes. Hell, the three of us would most likely have died, to be absolutely truthful. Still, I couldn’t remember the last time I thought about actually destroyin’ my maker; it had to be a good couple of years. However, if a battle with that Hell Bitch was going to happen, I was ready. I had to be. I had too much to lose to just not do anything.

 

My Isabella wrapped her hands around my waist and the realization set in. She would want a piece of Maria too. I remembered that look she gave me when I told her what Maria did to me and described the brutal punishments that I had to endure and the carnage she encouraged back in the day. I had to hold my woman and calm her after telling her that part of my life. Had Maria been there, Isabella would have torn that head clean off and burned it. If she weren’t trained, I wouldn’t have accepted that Isabella would want to go into battle. But I knew nuthin’ was gonna keep my woman away from this; it became personal to her the minute I told her my story. 

 

I realized I was far from innocent in all this. I knew that and even though it took a while, I made peace with myself for what I did back then. It was so different; the way my maker and I used to lead vampires into town to fight for food. Dependin’ on her whim afterwards, I was either rewarded or punished. More often than not, I was punished regardless of how much territory and how many human lives were lost. I fed off of innocent folk, townspeople and children. Nobody was spared. Blood was just blood. I massacred and decimated towns just for the hell of it, leaving nothing but a burnin' mess in order to hide all the blood spilt. It was all under the premise of feedin’ grounds. It was all in the name of war she said, time and time again. It was wasteful and beyond indulgent, beyond hedonistic, but it was all I had known. All the promises of more blood and more land meant more pain and anguish. It didn't occur to me that I could lead a peaceful existence. All I knew was death, destruction, pain, and fighting. It was no wonder I was so fucked up by the time I left that camp for good. 

 

I sighed as I thought about how different it was back then compared to today. While I made the choice to go back to the human diet, I no longer felt the agony from my victims and I was more selective. Gone was the feeling of guilt, as I fed off the scum of society. Even though workin’ with the Volturi was a means of gaining feeding grounds, it wasn’t done like it was back then. It was controlled and we used humans to do most of our dirty work. There were long term goals and plans to keep folks addicted to narcotics and illegal drugs. This wasn’t something that we had to push folks into doing either. Humans would consume that shit regardless if the drugs were trafficked with or without our involvement. It also allowed me to unleash my demon once in a while so he could have a little fun. I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

 

_Enough with the trip down memory lane. Let’s get the intel on her and start planning for war!_

 

I shook my head, snapped out of my thoughts and turned my attention back to Aro. “You’re right, we need to wait for the actual photo for sure, even though I’ll go with my brother’s snapshot. In the meantime, as much as I hate to admit it, Eddie might be valuable, at least until after the battle.” 

 

Isabella’s determination slammed into me and I turned to look at her. 

 

“Look, before you say anything, I want... no, I need to be a part of this. I’m a guard, dammit and you are not going to hide me away from this. I want this battle,” she said through gritted teeth. “I want her fucking head.” 

 

I put my hands up and sent Isabella some calm. “Whoa, babe, I wasn’t gonna stop you. As much as a part of me would like to, I won’t stop you from standin’ next to me on the battleground.” I kissed her temple. “But we can’t just go flyin’ out of the seat of our pants on this. We need to be one step ahead of her and plan. I don’t want her escapin’ out of this. I want her dead and out of my life for good.” 

 

She looked up at me with a sheepish smile. “I guess I over reacted a little, didn’t I, Whitlock?” 

 

I held her tightly and enjoyed the momentary normalcy. I knew nothing was going to be normal until it was all over and all that remained were Maria’s ashes. As much as I wanted to fly back and find her now, I couldn’t; not yet. We had to make absolutely sure. We had to get as much information as we could from Eddie. We had to plan this out. 

 

“Excellent, if this is what our plan is, then we will do this, but, we do this right.” Aro said. “I’m going to bring that Cullen boy back. I had Chelsea strengthen the bond while he fed.” He shook his head. “From what Pierre said, he was most happy eating the squirrels and rabbits we gave him,” he muttered, visibly shuddering at the thought. 

 

We watched as he texted someone and returned to face us. 

 

“Let’s keep the black widow under wraps for now, shall we?” 

 

And with that, Aro went back to the front of the room and raised his hands. “Trial will commence, please be seated.” 

 

My hand rested on the small of Isabella’s back as we walked back to the sitting area and waited for the trial to resume. I looked over at my brother and sister to make sure they were alright. I knew they would be shaken; not just by the snapshot but the fact that our past was coming back and we needed to prepare ourselves to face Maria.

 

Peter looked up and nodded but both of them radiated concern as we heard the wheels approaching from outside the room. 

 

“We’ll talk about this after,” I told Peter as the doors opened and Eddie’s wheelchair was pushed inside again. His emotions seemed stable. I could still feel the smugness comin’ off of him but at least his eyes weren’t flickering around all crazy like. 

 

“Well Edward Cullen, did you enjoy your meal?” Aro asked. While he seemed polite, his anger was rolling off of him. He was trying to mask it from Edward and lull him into a false sense of security. 

 

“Yes, master, you are most kind,” Edward said quietly. 

 

“Very well, now before our break, you were explaining how you managed to escape the inferno. Now, child, do you remember what happened next?” Aro asked. His voice was soothing and I could feel he hoped this method would work. 

 

“I... I do,” Eddie said, his head down. He was conflicted now and it weighed heavily on him as he tried to fight it. Aro looked up in my direction and sent me a subtle signal with his eyes. I sent Eddie a steady stream of trust. It was just enough that he wouldn’t suspect anything and just added to the growing loyalty to the Volturi that was comin’ off of him. 

 

“Go on, it’s alright,” Aro said with a smile. The other two kings were sitting up on the dais, also radiating trust and smiling benignly. They were all looking at him as though he was a small, frightened child. 

 

“I was in so much pain. My arm was gone but I ran to the garage, only the fire had spread there and since all the vehicles were full of gas, they all blew up. I was knocked back a few steps from the explosion and just fell to the concrete driveway as I heard the last thoughts of my family. Esme was relieved that the end was near and was determined to run into a wall of fire. My mother damned herself even further by running into the flames,” he spat out. “Carlisle was praying for our souls; his last thoughts were of his family. Rose was screaming as the fire spread and started to burn her head. Emmett he tried to cover her the best he could, but he died before she did.” 

 

I could feel the sadness comin’ off of him but no deception so far. I gave a quick nod to Aro to let him know what he said was true so far. 

 

“What about Alice, dear child?” Aro continued.

 

“My sister Alice... she was the first voice that actually went silent. Before I even ran outside, she was gone,” he began in a whisper. “At some point, she lost her visions and she was panicking because she couldn’t see the future. I called to her but she didn’t answer,” he bit out with a growl. “Her last thoughts were of someone named Maria and then... and then nothing.” His body was wracked with sobs now. “I tried to get to her but the flames were too strong. That is when it got my arm and the pain was so much. The last thing I saw was her head on fire. Her eyes were gone, everything.” He looked up to the ceiling. “I’m sorry Alice!” he screamed, shaking with anguish. 

 

“Dear child, did you see who this Maria was or what she looked like?” Marcus asked gently as he stepped off the platform.

 

“No, it was strange because her thoughts weren’t visual images. They were just her voice. It was different than what the rest of my family saw at the very end,” he said brokenly. 

 

“What was she saying to this Maria person then?” Marcus continued as Aro sat back down.

 

“She was thinking how she was sorry they never completed the circle. I wasn’t sure what that meant. All I wanted to do was get out. As I got to the driveway, I shut my eyes as the house grew completely silent of thought. I felt so alone. I didn’t open my eyes until much later after the fire had died down... someone was dragging me away.” 

 

So far, there wasn’t deception but he was clearly not comfortable in revealin’ this latest piece of information. He was hesitant and confused. I looked over at Isabella. She was watchin’ everything that was happening and I could see and feel that she was studying every word and every action as the scene played out before her. I reached for her hand, enjoying the touch of her skin.

 

Marcus gave Eddie a gentle smile and patted his shoulder. “Do you recall who it was?”

 

Edward nodded. “Ye... yes sir,” he replied. “It was Maria, Alice’s friend. She dragged me half way down the driveway to an awaiting SUV. I asked her what she was doing here and she said something made her come here. She threw me into the vehicle and before she took off, she put something into the center console. As she drove us out towards Port Angeles, she explained that she tried to find my arm but it was destroyed in the fire.”

 

“Had you met her or seen her before?” Marcus continued with his questioning. 

 

“I... I had seen her in Alice’s thoughts before. She was a friend she met all those years ago,” he choked out. 

 

So she showed up at the Cullen mansion hours after I left. That was interesting. What was she doing there? And this circle thing... what could it have been? Why was she drawn to the mansion? No. No fuckin’ way. Could it be... Alice and Maria? There was only one way to find out and I was hoping like hell we’d get to talk to the leaders after the trial to make damn sure. 

 

“This Maria, is there anything else about her that you’d like to share?” Caius asked as he stood from his throne. He stepped off the platform and walked slowly towards Edward. Unlike last time where he looked as though he was stalking his prey, this time Caius approached him like his brothers had, as though Eddie was a small frightened child. “We are among friends. There is no need to be afraid.” 

 

“I have also seen her before but not in Alice’s mind. I’ve caught glimpses of her in Jasper’s mind as well. When he first came to the family, I saw her but he never showed her full image, just the long dark hair and sometimes a profile.”

 

I knew that boy was nosy and what he said just proved it. He had to dig deep in order to catch glimpses of her, especially in my early days. Her image was never something I thought of in the open. I knew he never trusted me and he used that knowledge to draw me into their sick game. 

 

“Very well, I have no more questions at this time,” Caius announced to the audience before stepping back up to his throne. 

 

“Guards, take young Edward back to his room. Would you like more sustenance, my child?” Aro asked. 

 

“I am fine for now, sir. But can I get better clothes to wear? This stuff is embarrassing,” he answered with a whine.

 

“I’ll think about it. Guards,” Aro replied and promptly dismissed Edward. “Whitlocks, I need to talk to you all and Isabella too. The rest of you are dismissed.” He looked around the room and gave subtle signals to the guards. 

 

Within a minute, the entire throne room was emptied and once again, Aro motioned us to the chamber we met in a couple nights ago. When we got there, Marcus and Aro gestured to us to have a seat while Caius talked to one of the castle staff members. Isabella and I sat down next to each other while Peter and Char took a couple seats in the back. There was a soft knock before the main doors opened and Jane walked in with Renata and Alec. We were all introduced formally and Alec sat down across from us while Jane sat in the back with Renata. 

 

Caius sat down as a cart was wheeled in with some pitchers of blood and glasses. The castle staff bowed and promptly left the room as Renata got up and quickly served everybody. 

 

“Thank you all for coming in here. I apologize for the visitors; they arrived late last night and decided today to attend the trial. We see them about every quarter century or so, but they do not need to be privy to this information,” Aro said and took a sip. “Now then, while the second half of the trial was going on, I had Renata here monitor the reports from Serena. Do you have any news for us?”

 

“Your majesties, I do. Because the Phoenix cartel is a vampire run organization, the normal means of gathering intelligence on our subjects had to be modified. After Whitlock’s report this morning, Serena was able to get two rival cartels; Juan Carlos’ and Montaña’s group, into a firearms deal gone bad in order to create a diversion. They are our biggest pawns with the biggest egos so it wasn’t difficult to goad the two factions into a battle. Their territories were right next to each other and Montaña’s region actually butts up against the Phoenix’s territory. Serena then did some tactical computer hacking to arrange for some government unmanned spy planes to do a fly-by to recon the area; that was the piece that took the longest to implement. It was reported in the news to would look like a typical day in the war against drugs. Once the planes were flying overhead, it wasn’t hard to hack into the cameras and take pictures of the Black Widow and send them directly to her laptop instead of storing the images onto the airplane’s hard drive. Here.” 

 

Renata passed along some photos taken from the plane. All of us took our time looking at them in silence. The photos were quite clear, given that they were taken from several hundred feet above the ground. There was no doubt that it was her now. The facial features still looked off to me, but that was her. 

 

The kings looked up at me and then to my brother and sister as if to confirm our recognition of Maria. 

 

“That’s her,” I said. “I can tell even from the angle and the distance it is her, but her facial features just look different.” 

 

“You noticed that too?” Marcus asked and I responded by nodding.

 

“I did and she seems different; she’s carryin’ herself differently. It is like she’s lost some of that swagger, if you will, from the Southern Wars,” I muttered. “I do have a theory and right now it is just that, but given what Eddie was sayin’ out there, I think that there was some sort of bond between Alice and Maria.”

 

I expected the entire room to look at me like I was an alien from outer space but everybody seemed to be in agreement with my theory. 

 

“That is a good theory and I think you might be right,” Marcus said. “Of course we won’t know for sure until I see her and Aro looks into her memories.” 

 

Caius nodded. “As much as I’d like to give orders to kill her on sight, I am afraid I cannot, not until we’ve been able to get answers from her. However, if she had a hand in my brother’s mate’s death, she will die. Regardless though, she can afford a couple lost limbs.” He let loose an evil snicker before looking at Alec. “You do know that we’ll want you to break from your research. We need to be there.” 

 

Alec nodded and looked around the room. “I know my obligations and if she has committed this type of crime you can be sure there will be a line of guards that want a piece of her as well.”

 

Aro looked down at his glass before addressing the room. “Whitlock, I want you to lead the charge. My guards will answer to you. I trust that you won’t burn your maker before the trial?” 

 

I smirked before answerin’, “I’ll guarantee that I won’t burn her head before she stands trial, if that is what you’re really asking.” 

 

Aro sighed and nodded. “Sounds fair. Now do you know who you’d like from my guards?” 

 

I thought for a moment. “Yes sir, I think Jane’s gift would come in handy and we should also have Chelsea, just in case. The rest I’ll leave up to you.” I smiled as Jane’s joy hit me. “I’ll have Isabella along with Peter and Char as well. I know my brother and sister are eager to be involved but I think she might have a price on their heads for helping me escape, so I’ll need some of your best guards if you can spare them.” 

 

“Hell yeah, we’ll help.” Peter said enthusiastically. “We’ve been waiting...,” he began and looked quickly at Char, “for this moment for a long time now.”

 

I looked briefly at Peter and nodded before sendin’ him some appreciation. 

 

Caius thought for a moment, “Seeing that this is a possible official state matter now, that shouldn’t be a problem. I will have Alec assemble a team for you.” 

 

Isabella turned around and I saw her give a grin to both Peter and Char. She was excited and also fiercely determined. “Do we have a timeline for this?” she asked the room.

 

The kings looked up as if to defer to me. I sent them my appreciation before I answered the question. “I think after we get back, we’ll have a better understanding of the potential timeline but we aren’t going to linger. With training and all, I’d expect no earlier than two weeks time but not later than a month from now.” 

 

“Perfect. Now onto logistics. It is obvious we cannot all occupy the same town or else we run the risk of people getting suspicious,” Marcus explained. “We will stay in the next country over where I believe there is a huge drug population that we can feed from.” 

 

“I hate roughing it, brother,” Caius muttered. “But I suppose it is better than having to pack bagged blood and drinking that the entire time.” 

 

Marcus glared at his brother before continuing and I tried not to chuckle at their interaction once again. “As I was saying, we’ll have to bring the entourage. The wives will want to stay at more resort style properties. We’ll need to bring two planes with us, the jumbo as well as the cargo for our equipment. We’ll need cars, drivers, our helicopters, staff, basically the traveling castle is what we need to bring. Plus the secured communications equipment.” 

 

I guess when you’re royalty you had to travel with certain needs. 

 

“And what about Eddie,” I asked, hoping we didn’t have to transport him again. 

 

Jane cleared her throat. “If I may suggest? We can get Pierre to fly the cargo jet and he can keep Edward from hearing things. We can cage him if we have to and stick some woodland creatures in there to keep him company. I’ll travel over on the cargo plane as well, to make sure our esteemed guest is well taken care of,” she said with a smirk. 

 

“Fair enough,” Aro responded and reached for a nearby pitcher of blood. 

 

The room flashed in a soft green light that came from the far wall. It was obviously some sort of signal, given there was no surprise other than from Peter, Char and me. 

 

Aro reached behind him to grab some sort of remote device and a microphone lowered from the ceiling. “Carina?” he asked as he pressed a couple buttons on a remote. 

 

“Your majesties, I have Serena on the secured line. Shall I patch her through now?” Carina asked.

 

“Yes and thank you,” Marcus replied, pulling his chair closer to the table. 

 

There was a series of clicks as the secured line went through some more encryption and Serena’s voice finally came through. 

 

“Hello?” Serena asked.

 

“Serena, we are in the chamber by the throne room. With me are Marcus and Aro along with Isabella, Jane, Alec, Renata, and the Whitlocks,” Caius said quickly. “What have you discovered?”

 

“Greetings, I just got some more recon photos and I’ve sent them through the secured line.” 

 

Renata got up and flipped on a switch, lettin’ a projector screen come down to cover the fresco painting that was to the left of me. She used her phone to draw up the photos as we all moved our chairs to see the pictures better.

 

“We got them up now, sis,” Renata said as she sat back down. 

 

“We were able to get our hands on another unmanned spy plane. The first picture was taken maybe an hour ago when the spy plane first passed through and the second one was when we purposely set it to explode so we got an even closer look at things as the plane was falling to the ground. We stole some weapons from Juan Carlos’ men so they’ll get the blame for destroying it, which isn’t an unusual action from them and they’ll actually brag about being responsible. Back to the first picture – the figure dressed in blue is Miguel. It looks like they’re moving him and, given the slight shimmer of his skin, he’s in the middle of his change. Now, you can see the barn they put him in more clearly in the second picture.” 

 

Renata switched the photo and there was a clear shot of the interior of the barn. There were occupied beds lined up in rows much like a hospital. All in all, there were a half dozen beds and there was probably another set of beds on the side we weren’t able to see. 

 

“She’s buildin’ herself an army,” I muttered. The scene before me was not much different than what I saw day in and day out back then. “It’s her MO, only the conditions were less clean back then compared to today from the looks of it.” 

 

“Whitlock? You’re familiar with this?” Serena asked over the phone. 

 

“Yeah, the subject in question is my creator, Maria,” I replied. “The beds were her signature in how she created newborns but under more deplorable conditions.”

 

Serena whistled under her breath before continuing, “I am sorry, I had no idea... our methods were much different but that is beside the point. We have been able to determine that many of the bodies in the beds were her mules, which doesn’t surprise me after Miguel was caught. They’re in different stages of their change, with nobody having completed it yet. I just sent one more picture. It was taken after the crash before we disabled the camera remotely.” 

 

Renata switched to the latest picture and although you could see a crack in the lens down the middle, the picture was still surprisingly clear. The photo showed a group of men running towards the camera. Some of them sparkled as the sun's rays glinted off their skin and others had a sheen of sweat on their faces. 

 

“So she has a mixture of both human and vampire soldiers working for her. I also got audio by rewiring some things remotely. Hang on... you should have it now.” 

 

A recordin’ of some voices filled the room as we listened to the sound of approaching footsteps. The vampire soldiers spoke in rapid and quiet succession, much too quiet for the humans to hear which meant the spy plane must have been equipped with some sort of subsonic device that picked up on the vampire conversation. We heard how they planned to use the humans as food when the newborns woke. Meanwhile, the humans were talkin’ about how they thought the Black Widow was insane and scary. They were laughing amongst themselves that they must be crazy to be working for her while they tried to figure out why they were there in the first place. One of them said it paid well and he’d go to the devil herself with the money he was makin’. Little did he know. 

 

When the recording was over, the kings looked once again at me and I nodded.

 

“Serena, it sounds like there were a total of 2 vampires and 6 humans that were in the audio recording?”

 

“That is what we got as well, but if what she said was correct, most of the humans will be gone by the time the last newborn is awakened from the change,” Serena replied. 

 

“I don’t recognize any of the vampires by their voices, so she isn’t usin’ soldiers I knew back in the day. I don’t know what combat skills they have or don’t have, but we’ll have to assume that she has to have people she can control and who will do her dirty work,” I explained. “It’s her MO and I doubt she’ll change much.” 

 

“Understood. Whitlock, in the meantime what would you like us to do?” 

 

I looked at Isabella and then Peter and Char. “We’ll have wheels up at sundown. Will that be enough time to load the planes up?” I asked the leaders. 

 

“We’ll leave by nightfall, most likely. If it is possible to leave sooner, we will, but it is doubtful,” Caius said. “With so many of us traveling, we have to make sure everybody is properly fed beforehand or else keep a stash of furry snacks on board or laden the plane with blood bags. As soon as the meeting is adjourned, I’ll notify the airport. They’ll want you to register your flight plan at least 6 hours before the flight and your aircraft is still in the hanger so you can plan accordingly.” 

 

“I can do that. In the meantime, we’ll get everything ready for our trip back,” I said. “Serena, we should be back tomorrow afternoon. Is the storm still forecast to hit tomorrow?” 

 

“Yes it is, but it shouldn’t be intense enough that they’ll shut down the airport. Just make sure you have extra fuel. In the meantime, we’ll continue monitoring from a distance. We’ll use the two cartels to our advantage as well. We probably won’t be able to take control of another spy plane but we’ll try to figure something else out without their knowledge. It pays to have a couple techie vampires on my team that can make cool spy stuff,” she replied with a chuckle. “We’ll be in touch.” 

 

“Hang on, Serena, we might have something you can use,” Renata interjected. She looked at us and smiled. “In our spare time, Alec and I dabble with the vampire version of micro nanotechnology. You might be familiar with the human version of this but we’ve taken things a step further.” She looked at Alec and nodded.

 

Alec stood up and grinned before pulling an object from his pocket. “They’re still a prototype but we’ve been testing them and so far, they seem to work.” He dumped the contents of the vial onto the table.

 

Even with enhanced vampire vision, the tiny spheres were hard to see. “What are they?” I asked.

 

“They are audio and visual devices that have our subjects ingest so that they become a walking video camera. Every exposed piece of skin is able to produce the visual and audio,” Alec explained. “Our prisoners have been unknowing test subjects the past few years.”

 

“Are there adverse effects?” Isabella asked. “Does it alter their scent or is there a way to detect that they’re living spy gadgets?” 

 

“We haven’t noticed anything so far,” Renata explained. We even spiked the tequila over at The Devil’s Playground the night you were all there. Did you have any humans who were drinking tequila?” 

 

“I did,” Jane said. “I didn’t taste anything different though and the human just acted belligerent and drunk as usual.”

 

“Mine didn’t taste different either,” Peter replied. 

 

“So what happens after the subject dies?” Caius asked. 

 

“After they’re drained of blood, the spheres quit working. They work under certain temperatures, so if the subjects were changed, the spheres would no longer work once they reach above 105 degrees or drop below 90. And because of the size, there is really no way of spotting it. Even with an electron-microscope, unless you know what you’re looking for, you’ll have a hard time finding it. It shows up nearly transparent. Carina has helped us by planting it on a slide and she was able to convince a nearby medical facility to look at it. The technicians saw them but attributed the spheres to nothing more than dust particles.” 

 

“If they ingested more than one sphere, does it affect them?” I asked as I started comin’ up with a plan. 

 

“We haven’t noticed any adverse effects thus far. Some will obviously leave their system but they’re so tiny that they could travel through the body; they could, in theory, be embedded into tissue but our test subjects haven’t lasted that long. But we do have a couple from our tequila test and will continue to monitor them. Why?”

 

“I was thinkin’ we should do something similar and spike the drinks at the local cantina so the humans could be used as spies for us. We need to gain an upper hand in learning what skills the Phoenix cartel has. Maria has none; she’s just a parasite but, make no mistake, her second in command will be gifted in some way. We need to assess their gifts so I can plan this battle better,” I explained. “Serena, would you be able to take control of the nearby cantina?” 

 

“Actually Whitlock, there is one cantina and a couple girly bars nearby. If I can get enough of the spheres, I can get them all spiked. My folks have are accustomed to playing human roles. I can get a team together to deliver the spiked booze to the bars. But once they are in the humans, how do we know what we are looking at?” Serena asked. “I mean, if a couple hundred get ingested, how do we zero in on the specific signals?” 

 

Alec spoke next. “By the use of GPS. We might have to work together to tweak the program better once we’re there, especially if you have geeky vampires working for you.” He chuckled before continuing. “Basically, we input the desired coordinates into the program and from there, we can start gathering intel. We’ll overnight you some boxes of this stuff. One spoonful into a bottle would do the trick.” 

 

“Sounds like a plan,” she replied. “I’ll feel better knowing my team will be safe and we can still monitor our subjects. Thank you, we’ll talk more once you’re all here.” 

 

With that, she hung up and the microphone and projector screen were immediately raised up.

 

“Alright, we’ve got to move our household,” Aro exclaimed. “We probably won’t be in touch until we’ve landed unless something big occurs.”

 

We all shook hands and left. 

 

The four of us headed back towards the throne room. Jane waved at us and said she was looking forward to training. As we opened the side door to head back to the garage, Heidi appeared. 

 

“I won’t be coming out to visit, at least, not right away,” Heidi said, clearly disappointed. She walked with us to the barn and explained that because the kings were actually going to hunt, she wasn’t going to be needed. 

 

“Now don’t you two get married while I’m not there,” she chided. 

 

Isabella laughed and hugged Heidi. “And not give you an opportunity to be a part of it? Besides, I think that is all on hold until after we get the Whore of Satan out of the way. Now, stay in touch, ‘kay?” 

 

“Will do,” Heidi said, smiling brightly. “It was really nice to meet you all. Safe travels and kick ass!” 

 

The four of us got in the car and headed back to the villas. I looked at the rear view mirror and noticed Char and Peter lookin’ out their windows. I could feel the worry comin’ off of them.

 

“You guys alright back there?” I asked and Isabella looked back at them with concern.

 

“Yeah, we’re just... we don’t know what to expect with her,” Char said quietly. “I know she will blame me for losing two of her best soldiers and she probably won’t think twice about snapping my head off.” 

 

“Dammit woman, don’t think that!” Peter growled and grabbed both of Char’s hands. “I won’t lose you, I can’t lose you.” He pulled her into a fierce hug as I looked away, feeling overwhelmed by their emotions and my own toward Isabella. She reached out and took my hand into hers as I pressed the key code to open the iron gate. 

 

I rounded their driveway and my siblings got out before the car came to a complete stop. Peter picked up Char and carried her bridal style into the house. 

 

“We’ll be ready, Major, Cookie,” he whispered quietly and shut the door as I pulled out of their drive and headed towards ours. 

 

I looked up into the afternoon sky and hoped that we would prevail without loss on our side. I opened the door for Isabella and together we walked side by side into the house. We needed some normalcy before we got back onto the plane. We needed a couple hours to forget. Between now and the battle, we had to enjoy the small moments. So much could happen and I was honestly scared that I’d make a mistake. I had so much more to lose this time; my mate, my family, and the Volturi. 

 


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the awesome women that helped with this:  
>  HeavyInfinity for being an awesome beta  
>  SparklingFae and JaspersBella for reading this months ago  
>  DarkNnerdy who holds my hand and feeds me music  
>  Jaspers_Woman for prereading 
> 
> My initials aren’t SM nor will they ever be. I just like to play with Jasper and Bella.

**Chapter 22**

****

**_SONGS:_ **

**_Storm - Lifehouse_ **

**_Edge of the Earth - 30 Seconds to Mars_ **

**BPOV**

 

Jasper set the now empty bottle onto the bathroom floor and pulled me closer to him. His eyes were closed and he wore  a small smile but I knew he was worried. I had seen it earlier in his eyes.

 

“Did you enjoy the Bella Blood, cowboy?” I asked as I leaned over to nip at his shoulder.

 

”I like that,” he whispered back. “Bella Blood. It was delicious as always. I needed it. I’m savin’ the last four bottles though.”

 

“I am so glad it was you. I admit, I did momentarily panic when Marcus explained that I had a strong bond with someone before my change,” I said. “For a split second, I imagined that he was going to say I was bonded to some stupid human boy... like that creepy Newton kid.” I grimaced at the thought.

 

Jasper opened his eyes and looked at me. I could see the laughter in them.

 

“I felt your panic but it quickly disappeared, so I never asked,” Jasper said as he brushed his fingers against my cheek. “The Newton kid, huh? You know we could always find him and I could send him some lust.”

 

I smiled and gave up trying to stifle my laughter. I knew that we both had to enjoy these moments from now on until it was over.

 

Jasper looked down and took a deep breath. “I guess both of us have some heavy thoughts in our minds, don’t we?” he asked. I nodded affirmatively. “I will do everything in my power to keep us all safe. You, me, Peter, Char, and the Guards.

 

I turned my body so I was facing him in the tub. “Such a huge burden for you. You don’t need to put the weight of our world on your shoulders, Jasper. We’re all in this together. I’m taking my share and if truth be known, if Maria had a hand in Victoria’s death, you can be damn sure more guards will fight willingly alongside as well.”

 

“I know, it is just hard not to take the responsibility.” Jasper sighed as he looked up at the ceiling. “I guess we need to get ready?”

 

“We are going to need to a van to take our stuff to the airport. Plus that flight plan thing you have to do.” I looked up at the clock. “We have a couple hours before that 6 hour window if we want to leave around sundown.”

 

Jasper held me tighter. “This is so fucked up, this whole Maria thing.”

 

“I know,” I replied. “I hope those spheres work on the humans because we need every angle we can get.” I reached behind his neck and pulled him down for a kiss, still tasting a little of my human blood on his tongue. “Mmm, we better stop so we can get stuff ready and get out of here.”

 

“We will... but first,” Jasper said with a smirk, flipping us both around so I was underneath him. Water sloshed around us and onto the stone floor tiles. “I fuckin’ love you, Isabella.” He kissed me hard, my hair wound tightly around his fist and my hands buried in his. I licked my mark on his neck and felt his lips over mine. I moaned as he sat up so  I was straddling his thighs. “I can’t wait until we’re married and you become Isabella Whitlock.”

 

I would have been disappointed that we stopped but the sound of that was nice. It was especially nice that it came from his lips. “I like the sound of that. Isabella Charles Whitlock or Isabella Swan Whitlock?” I honestly didn’t know which sounded better as I continued pondering.

 

Jasper chuckled as he helped me out of the tub. “They both sound nice, and you can always change things around over the years.” He handed me a towel as I wiped myself dry and headed back to the bedroom.

 

“So long as I don’t have to change the Whitlock part, I’ll be happy,” I said.

 

“You can always be a Whitlock, I have no qualms in that,” he replied as he pulled on a pair of jeans.

 

I sent a quick email to Carina letting her know we needed to have a cargo van come out to take our stuff to the airport. The plan was that we would go and load up the plane while he filed the flight plan. That way, we could just get there and be in the air. I received a text message two minutes later from Pierre that he was leaving in ten minutes. I let Jasper know and he texted a message over to his brother. We quickly packed our clothes back into bags and I made sure the bottles were secured inside as we brought them into the entry way.

 

“Babe, Peter and Char decided to go on a quick trip to Florence but they’ve left their things for us to load up. If they cannot meet us here, they’ll meet us at the airport right before we leave. at the very latest,” he said as we heard the van pulling up.

 

“Oh? Alright,” I said. “I guess they need some alone time. He was really distraught about the situation earlier.”

 

“He was, but they’ll be alright. He had to pick something up as well. I hear Pierre. Come on, let’s load up the van.”

 

In less than 5 minutes, our belongings were packed and we asked Pierre to follow us to the other villa so we could load their stuff up. Once done, we hopped into the sports car and followed Pierre to the special hanger.

 

“I meant to ask, Renata and Serena are sisters?” Jasper asked as we turned onto the main thoroughfare.

 

“I don’t know all the details but they hailed from the same town. Renata and Serena came from the same village only a few centuries apart. So after her change, they discovered their common thread and became close and Renata became Serena’s mentor.” I nudged him with my elbow. “Did you notice Alec and Renata?”

 

“I noticed the affection they had for each other,” he replied.

 

“I think that was one of the reasons he decided not to be out on the field as much,” I smiled.  “They make a pretty cool team of vampire spy scientists, I must say.”

 

“Yeah, those spheres are pretty wild. Havin’ technology on our side could definitely help.”

 

“Let’s hope so.”

 

We got to the airport and security waved us by as we followed Pierre to the hanger. The massive hanger doors were slightly opened as we drove in and I heard Jasper’s whistle as we saw the group of vampires loading pallets, equipment and vehicles into the cargo 747. We spotted Jasper’s Gulfstream near the back corner and pulled up next to it.

 

“Just let us know where you want them loaded, in the hold or on-board, and we’ll take care of the rest,” Pierre said as we got out of the car. “Later tonight, you can leave the vehicles in here along with any paperwork and we’ll make sure the rentals get taken care of as well.”

 

“Thank you, Pierre, this is a tightly run machine here,” Jasper said as he watched the plane being loaded.

 

Pierre grinned and motioned us to follow him. “As the head of logistics, I try to make sure everything is done and done right. It isn’t often we take ‘V-One’ with us but again, we don’t always have the kings traveling with the queens, guards and staff either. While the threat of battle isn’t a fun thing, there is an extra sense of excitement from everybody as we get things ready for the flight.”

 

“V-One?” I asked, having never heard the term before.

 

“Ms. Isabella, allow me to introduce ‘V-One’,” Pierre said with a grin and gestured over to the cargo plane. “You know, you and your sisters aren’t the only ones that get to give nicknames. V-One is a take on Air Force One only this baby is the cargo plane. I am glad I’ll get to fly her. It has been a while hasn’t it, sweetheart?” He patted the wheel lovingly as we walked by.

 

I shook my head and chuckled. Whether vampire or human, men still seemed to like their toys.

 

“Mr. Whitlock, if you’d like I can show you where you can file your flight plan,” Pierre said.

 

“Sure,” Jasper replied, turning to me. “It won’t take that long, do you want to come along?”

 

“No, I’ll be fine,” I said and reached up to kiss him quickly. “Pierre, could I borrow a couple people to help load up the plane? That way we don’t have to fuss as much later on.”

 

“Sure, not a problem,” Pierre replied and motioned a couple vampires to join him. “Martina. You and Doug can help Ms. Isabella with the Gulfstream.”

 

I greeted the two vampires and within minutes, we had the van emptied and the plane loaded. Most of our things were fine in the cabin and we didn’t have any cargo this time around to take back. They even made sure we were stocked in the fridge.

 

When our plane was loaded, I leaned against the cargo van and watched as the crew tried to fit various large metal cages in the cargo hold before one appeared to fit the best. They set that cage aside as they moved the others out of the hanger. If I had to make a guess, this was the cage where Eddie was going to be in during the trip.

 

“Oh excellent! It must be the best fitting cage,” Pierre said as he and Jasper walked back into the hanger.

 

“Darlin’ hope you didn’t have to wait too long. I had to do that shit in human speed so it took a little longer,” Jasper said as I walked up to him.

 

“No, the plane just got loaded up a few minutes ago and I was watching the cage being moved around,” I replied.

 

“Ah, that is the cage we’ll be using for our special guest,” Pierre said with a wink. “I had to modify a cargo container to fit him and this configuration is the best one. It was either that or dismember him again, but with the work Chelsea has done and given how unstable he is, we thought we’d give him a little wiggle room. Plus, this will give him room with the animals we’re planning to add in there.”

 

Jasper and I looked at each other and laughed. “Oh that is great! He’ll be caged with the animals. Oh I hope Jane takes a picture of that,” I said.

 

“I’ll make sure she does,” Pierre replied.

 

“Come on, let’s head back to the villa and hang out for a bit before we leave,” Jasper said as he pulled me closer to him. “Pierre, it was nice talkin’ to you. Thank you.”

 

“No problem, I’ll see you two soon. Congratulations by the way.”

 

We shook hands and got back into the car and headed back to the villa. We decided to spend some time before the sun set swimming around in the lake that separated the two houses. It was nice and quiet and we enjoyed the sounds of the water as we swam around and splashed. We got lost in the peacefulness, and it was as though the world was right once again. We kissed and we laughed. Jasper chased me around like a shark so I pretended to be a frightened human shrieking around until he “caught” me and pulled me under.

 

 I am not sure how long we stayed underwater, but when we both surfaced, we were met with a grinning Peter and Char. They were sitting on the edge of the lake with their feet in the water.

 

“Hey guys,” I said as I pushed the curtain of wet hair away from my eyes. “How was Florence?”

 

Char flashed a huge smile and showed us the  beautiful ruby necklace she had on. “It was great, look what Captain Dumbass gave me.”

 

“Hey, no need for names. I didn’t get us a ticket. I talked the cop out of it,” he groused.

 

“You got pulled over, bro?” Jasper asked as we headed back to shore.

 

“Yeah, I was tryin’ to open her up to the road. That is one fast little filly,” Peter answered. There was a dreamy look on his face and I knew he had to be talking about his car, since he had the same look when he was in the Volturi car barn. “And then before I knew it, I had flashin’ lights behind me. I just wanted to hang out here a little longer before we had to go,” he added with a shrug.

 

Jasper and I laughed and I punched him on the arm before giving Char a hug.

 

“Char, that is a beautiful necklace,” I said. The ruby was gorgeous and matched her eyes.

 

“Isn’t it? He never ceases to surprise me,” she replied.

 

“It is a Whitlock men trait,” Jasper said as he sat next to me and pulled me onto his lap.

 

“It is a trait, huh?” I asked as I held his hand.

 

“Yes, ma’am. We love to spoil our women so you better get used to it,” he replied.

 

“Damn straight, bro” Peter replied and reached over to give Jasper a fist bump .

 

Jasper looked up at the sky. “Sun’s gonna set soon. We better get ready. Plane’s all loaded. We can leave both the cars in the hanger, along with any paperwork that needs to be taken care of. Pierre said he’ll have someone take care of it.”

 

“Cool, I’m gettin’ me one of those souped-up Vipers as soon as we get back,” Peter announced.

 

Char rolled her eyes as we all got up and headed back to our respective houses to change.

 

“Back in 10?” Jasper asked.

 

“Sounds good to me,” Peter said and Char nodded. “We got blood on board?”

 

“Yeah,” I replied. “There is a fresh stock. I made sure we’ve got some with hardly any musty taste so we don’t have to mix it if we don’t want.”

 

Ten minutes later, we left the villas to head to the airport. As soon as we got there, we cleared our paperwork and were told it would be another 20 minutes before we could taxi out. V-One was no longer parked inside the hanger but just outside of it; a 777 with a Volturi tail design sat inside in its place. I watched as some vampires prepped that plane up before the royal family and other guards arrived. We all got on-board the Gulfstream and the four of us sat inside the cockpit as the hanger doors opened fully and Jasper maneuvered the aircraft out to the tarmac.

 

“Stewardess, I need beverages!” Peter announced just as a tug pulled us onto the jet way.

 

Jasper punched him in the arm as I looked over at Peter and flipped him off before Char and I got up and headed into the galley to fix us all up a couple pitchers.

 

For the most part, we stayed quiet as we listened to the tower instructions and watched the sun slowly sink into the horizon. I texted a quick note to Serena and the kings about our itinerary. I also told them to text me if they needed me to jump on the computer. As we lined up behind a couple commercial planes, Jasper motioned me over and pulled me onto his lap.

 

“The glass is tinted so they won’t see us,” he said just as I looked out towards the air traffic tower. “I’m lettin’ you take controls for take-off.”

 

I grinned as I put on the headphones, even though I didn’t really need them. Jasper still responded to the tower as though he was the pilot but he was giving me hand signals and talking to me through it the whole time. One by one, the planes ahead of us took off. When it was our turn, I smoothly brought the aircraft up to speed, the jet engines humming along. Once it hit the required speed, I pulled the nose up and the plane lifted off the ground and into the sky.

 

“I did it!” I said excitedly as I took the headset off.

 

“You did babe,” Jasper said, kissing my hair as he hung the headset back in place.

 

Peter reached over and ruffled my hair as Char looked at me and gave me a high five.  We piped in some music and just enjoyed the scenery and company. The course was set and we all stretched out a bit. We had an entire plane to hang out in, but right now, we all just wanted to stay close together.

 

“Cookie, that was some nice flyin’ you did there,” Peter said as I got off of Jasper’s lap and sat down next to Char.

 

“Thanks Polaroid, that was fun. I’d never have been able to process that as a human though, I think. At least not that fast,” I said. “You did good with Char’s necklace by the way. It is so unique.”

 

“Yeah, they’re fast too; it only took them a couple days to cast and create the necklace,” he replied.

 

“Were you at the shop that had the man with the green visor behind the glass?” I asked and saw the guys both nodding. I smiled and whispered to them, “That shop is run by a vampire.”

 

“You’re shittin’ me? The little man behind the glass was human and I didn’t notice any vampire scent either time I was there,” Peter replied,  a little upset by the news. “Did you notice anything strange, Major?” He reached over and pulled Char into his arms.

 

Jasper shook his head. “The only thing I noticed was gettin’ the ring sized was really fast but I didn’t think anything of it at the time; I was more worried that Isabella would like it or not.”

 

I got up and wrapped my arms around him. “Well, cowboy, she loves it, a lot,” I teased. “It is not only gorgeous but it is meaningful and I love the man who gave it to me.” I kissed him quickly and settled on his lap once again, looking at Peter and Char.

 

“The shop is the official jeweler for the Volturi. They have designed pieces for us for ages. The necklace I wore the other night was their handiwork. The owner of the shop is a vampire but he staffs his shop with humans. He will do all the custom work and afterwards he lets the jeweler you see behind the glass work on duplicates. Once in a while, if time isn’t of the essence, the human jeweler will work on custom pieces but usually they are not as intricate or the cut of the stone isn’t as precise. Minor things that human eyes probably wouldn’t notice,” I added with a shrug. “There is no need to worry, he is good and his staff is really nice.”

 

“Only in Europe,” Peter muttered but I could tell he was relieved that he wasn’t in any sort of danger while he was there.

 

“Peter? Are you alright?” I asked. “I don’t mean to pry, I just saw how upset you both were earlier.”

 

“We’ll be fine, Cookie. It is just upsettin’ that after all these years, all these decades, that we are gonna come face to face with the bitch from hell,” he said quietly. “I know the Major has explained the circumstance of how we escaped. I knew that my brother got punished for lettin’ us go, which is why we went back years later to rescue him. We would have done it sooner but we needed to acclimate to the civilian life and learn to function without the desire to destroy a goddamn town each time we fed. For those first few years, we wandered around, always lookin’ over our shoulder. And then after, when it was the three of us, we always looked to see if she was waitin’ for us. When he went to the Cullens, Char and I wandered around restlessly for another good decade or two before settlin’. It wasn’t that we were nomadic by choice early on, we were because we had to be. Now though, we’re settled at  our farm hear Houston.

 

“We still like to travel and try to do it often but it is always nice to have our home base,” Char said as she held onto Peter’s hand.

 

I looked at the three of them. I kissed Jasper and then reached over and squeezed both Peter and Char’s hands. “You’re not alone this time. She’s fucked with the wrong group by involving the Volturi. With our resources, I am sure we are going to be able to have an upper hand in this. Add to it the fact that she appears to be relying on newborns, well… that is probably not going to work well. I mean, as a newborn, I didn’t just have funny moments. There were times when I was completely irrational and easily lost control of my temper during sparring matches. Keep in mind, we were all there voluntarily; none of us were changed against our will, unless someone arrived already a vampire. Even with a controlled and positive environment, I still lost my shit a few times,” I said as I shrugged off my jacket. “Most of the bite marks were from my first year. Even with my shield, I still got bitten a few times.” Jasper ran his fingertips against my skin, causing me to smile at his touch.

 

“With our trained team, I think we’ll have an advantage,” Jasper said quietly. “I don’t want to be cocky like back in the day, but I am not gonna lay there and let the fuckin’ Hell Bitch burn me either. I am cautious and want to make damn sure we use our resources, our abilities and our intel to our advantage. I’d like to think we’ll have the element of surprise but I won’t assume we will until we learn more.”

 

“Spoken like a seasoned warrior, Major,” Peter said,  slapping him on his shoulder.

 

“Granted, I was only in her army for a year, but why did she look so strange?” Char asked. “It is like her face has aged but that’d be impossible.”

 

“I noticed that too, both in the drawin’ and then in the recon photos. Anybody want to share any theories?” Jasper asked.

 

I thought back about some things we had learned over the past few days, like the circle thing that Edward talked about and the friendship Alice had with Maria. It was something... but what? I looked down at my hands as I contemplated on some possible reasons.

 

“Peter?” I began, still looking at my hands, more specifically at my engagement ring. “Remember our first telephone conversation when I asked about spouses and mates? You mentioned something about that if we didn’t claim each other it would cause adverse effects. Could it be that Alice and Maria never claimed each other and now it is too late?” I looked up and realized I had three pairs of eyes staring at me. “What? Was that too wild of an idea? I just sort of went with what was said at Volterra earlier.”

 

“Forget tough Cookie, you’re a smart one as well,” Peter said. “I like your logic. If ‘A’, losin’ a mate causes irrevocable pain and sometimes it is so bad that you want to die yourself and ‘B’, never claimin’ your mate could lead to adverse effects, then it is a good theory that it could lead to ‘C’, that if your unclaimed mate is lost you’re even more fucked up than before. I’ve never seen ‘C’ before but that could explain some of the physical changes.” Peter looked at Jasper and grinned. “Look at your brother, bro. You saw that crazy look in his eyes from losin’ his limbs and his family.”

 

“Shut it fucker,” Jasper growled out. “I don’t want to be associated with that child ever again. And what the fuck kind of pants was he wearin’? They weren’t shorts or pants, what the fuck were they?”

 

Char and I looked at each other and giggled. “I think they’re called manpris, like capris, but for men,” Char said and I nodded.

 

Jasper shook his head and muttered, “Manpris. You won’t catch me wearin’ them. I’d rather eat a basket of woodland creatures,” he said with a huff, trying  not to laugh, but it was too late. The four of us roared out with laughter.

 

“So she could be insane?” Jasper wondered out loud after a few minutes and lifted me up before setting me back down on the chair.

 

I watched as he started to pace up and down the plane and I could tell he was deep in thought. After the 5th time back up, he sat down next to me.

 

“Okay, so let’s assume that there is a possibility that she’s gone insane,” he began and turned to look at Peter. “Which could be true if what you said about the souls recognizin’ each other had occurred. To build on Isabella’s theory, that would mean they were fightin’ the emotions and the toll to be near each other for a long ass time. Plus, the pixie hated scars so that must have wrecked havoc between them as well.  So the theory might be plausible. But all it is right now is a theory. Until we get some sort of proof, we need to also consider that she’s as determined and sane as she was back in the day.”

 

“Sane isn’t a word I’d use to describe her, ever,” Peter mumbled.

 

“She and Alice knew each other for nearly the same amount of time you spent with the Cullens, right?” I asked. I took a breath before continuing. “And you met Alice at a diner, right?” I looked at Jasper and he nodded. “Alright, another crazy thought coming. What if it was all planned?”

 

“What was all planned?” Jasper asked, pulling me onto his lap once more.

 

“Until Aro gleans the truth from Maria, we won’t know for sure, but what if the whole premise of Alice finding you at that diner was planned. What if she knew of Maria long before? Maybe they hadn’t met or anything but she might have gotten one of those visuals back then.”

 

I looked at Jasper and saw the fire in his eyes. “Not sure. I mean, when I met her, I did think it was weird as fuck that she knew me and saw a future together, but she was so different from all the other vampires that I was attracted to her like a fuckin’ moth to a flame or a magpie to something shiny. The idea of meetin’ up with the Cullens and livin’ a peaceful life got my attention because I couldn’t stand the idea of drainin’ another human. It about killed me whenever I grabbed a random person and fed. It never occurred to me that I could feed off the deviants of society and feel good about it. I was so fuckin’ lost.” Jasper ran his hand through his hair. “Anythin’ is possible when it came down to that damn pixie. I mean it, could happen given the onslaught of emotions I was always given by that family; while it wasn’t the physical punishments I’d received in the war days, the emotional punishments were also intended to control me.”

 

I held onto him and made sure my feelings for him were clear and strong. It hurt to know what he had gone through and if those theories were true, I wanted to make sure that bitch paid.

 

“Did you ever notice a more noticeable difference in her attitude after she came back from her trips?” Peter asked quietly while looking intently at Jasper.

 

Jasper quickly looked at the coordinates and the GPS before making some minor adjustments. “There was sadness but her excuse was that it was due to her leavin’ the boutiques. Over the years, there was a noticeable discomfort comin’ off of her as well. Her excuse was that she saw visions of me slippin’. The emotions fit with her bein’ upset so I didn’t think anything was off. You know me; I don’t like nosin’ around people’s emotions and with the constant mind fuck I was being given, it didn’t seem any different. After we left Forks and things started spiralin’ out of control, I realized that I was the subject of their game and began to notice that she had come back more agitated after her last few trips . It was subtle but I was able to feel it. Had I been on human blood, I probably would have noticed it more since the animal shit dulled my gift a bit. Again I had attributed her emotions to the downfall of the entire Cullen clan but now with this new theory, it makes sense.”

 

“I wish I burned her the first time I saw her,” Char growled out. “The way she clung onto you and the way she looked down at us; we were like vermin to her. If what you say is true, then maybe that is why she played on our lifestyle and kept you from seein’ us as often. You would have most likely seen the truth by hangin’ out with us.”

 

“Could be. Given what we know now, a lot of her actions were most likely laced with deception and ulterior motives,” replied Jasper.

 

“I can see the snapshots I had of you back then and interpreted the images wrong. I thought all that shit she pulled on you was because of trust or rather, the lack thereof,” Peter hissed out. “I wish I could have seen that it was because Maria was involved. Fuck, I wish the pictures were more than fuckin’ snapshots sometimes.”

 

I felt bad for the three of them as they started to see their past decades in a new light. “You guys, stop. You can’t change what has happened in the past. You just can’t. We’re seeing things in a new angle because it was just presented to us. The only thing we can do at this point is make sure we get the truth before she is destroyed and hopefully gain closure from it in the end.”

 

 “Sorry, babe. It is hard not to think that there could have been something we could have done back then. That fuckin’ bitch better have answers. Not just the ones about me, but about the Volturi as well,” Jasper replied.

 

“Yeah, what was she thinking, trying to go up against the Volturi like that? Was it ambition or stupidity for her to take us on like this?” I asked.

 

“If she is anything like she was back in the day, I’d say a little bit of both,” Jasper answered. “But who’s to say she knew that she was comin’ up against the Volturi? Sure, I might be playin’ devil’s advocate right now but I’m just layin’ it out there.”

 

Just then my phone buzzed and I looked at the message. There were two text messages; one from Serena and another one from Alec. Both of them simply said, _‘Telecon ASAP.’_

 

I explained quickly what was going on as I reached for the laptop once more. I watched as Jasper flipped on a couple switches from a wall panel.

 

“Encryption device. The last time you used the computer, it was already on,” he explained.

 

I nodded and set the computer up for a secured conference call with both Serena and Alec. Alec explained that they had just taken off and that V-One was about a half hour ahead of them. A total of a six guards had agreed to come on this trip and fight and if more were on standby if needed. Serena expressed her concern about training grounds and suggested that we look for several places so we’re not at a regularly scheduled location where we would be more easily tracked. Jasper and I both agreed that it was best to find different locations so we didn’t travel as one large group. Jasper felt if we kept the training session locations a last minute discovery and rotated practice among different sites, we’d be  less likely to draw too much attention.

 

Peter and Char watched and listened to the call and nodded in agreement. Alec would be the liaison for the Volturi and Serena would coordinate her field team. She also indicated that she couldn’t have all the members training because she needed folks to monitor the humans that consume the spheres as well as any other unexpected activity.  As we ended the call, we decided to schedule a time for our next briefing call.

 

“Hey Peter?” I asked as I put the computer away. “Do you have any snapshots of our upcoming battle?”

 

He shook his head. “Nah, it doesn’t happen on will, it just happens. Sometimes it is just a flash and then an image, you know, the snapshot. Other times it is just more FYI type tidbits, it just shows up. It is purely random though. I once went a whole year without so much as a fuzzy image.” He shrugged. “Sorry I couldn’t be more help.”

 

“No, that isn’t not true, you’ve been really helpful,” I said. “Thank you, if you hadn’t told us what you knew about mates and all, we probably wouldn’t have spent over half the flight trying to figure out theories on the Whore of Satan.”

 

Peter laughed. “Perfect nickname for her, Cookie. Now then, when’s the wedding?”

 

“Wow, change of subject much?” I asked with a grin. “I haven’t thought of it yet.” I turned around and faced Jasper. “Cowboy, would you mind if we kept it small? I don’t want a huge fucking circus of a celebration.”

 

“I like that. When would you want it?”

 

“Definitely after the battle. I wouldn’t feel right about celebrating like that before,” I said.

 

Jasper fiddled with some controls once again. “Whenever you want to, babe. Just let me know what you want.” He looked at me and my body was filled with the love he was sending me.

 

“Lovebirds,” Peter said quietly. “It is nearly sunrise. You want us to take over for a bit to give y’all some privacy?”

 

Jasper picked me up and nodded to his brother and sister. “Thanks, bro. We’ll stay in the back until landing if that’s alright.”

 

“No problem, Captain Char will be landin’ her this mornin’ just so you know,” Peter said and as we headed out the door, his eyes flashed blue once again.

 

We both watched as Peter regained his bearings and a huge smile appeared on his face.

 

“Well, Cookie it seems I have some news for you. Your car’s been delivered and it’s at the hanger.”

 

 

 


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23**

 

_**Songs:** _

_**Must be Doing Something Right – Billy Currington** _

_**Strange Times – The Black Keys** _

 

 

 

**JPOV**

 

Battle was imminent. I knew it and everybody on-board knew it. I knew we had an advantage due to the mere fact that all of us were trained to fight and none of us were newborns, but I still didn’t want to guarantee a win or get overconfident. So much could happen and if the Hell Bitch was unstable, as we had theorized, well, it was all the more critical we looked at fuckin’ everything before we went to war. 

 

It was a great idea to have multiple training facilities and leave the sessions a last minute decision in case they had spies of their own that figured out what we were doin’. A large gathering of vampires would certainly catch their attention. By moving the grounds from place to place, the groups traveling to the site would be smaller and would be less likely to draw attention. Plus, not creating a routine was to our advantage. The more we had the element of surprise on our side, the better. 

 

Isabella and I lay on the couch after we greeted her dad. She was curled up against me with her left hand on my chest. I smiled as I watched the diamond sparkle from her ring creating a prism inside the cabin of my plane. 

 

I felt her love flowin’ strong as the airplane slowly began its descent. 

 

“I fuckin’ love you too,” I whispered back and sent her my love in return. 

 

Peter came out of the cockpit and grabbed a couple blood bags to take up front. “We’re being put into a pattern right now because of a storm but it should be fine. We have the equipment so it ain’t a problem, but the tower is screenin’ all aircraft to make sure they could land safely. Look down and you’ll see the storm below us.” 

 

I sent him my appreciation as Isabella and I looked out the window. It was a really dark cloud but Peter was right, this plane was equipped to land in any condition other than severe ice. We vampires didn’t need special equipment, but the plane had to have them or else we’d get turned away from landing at airports. 

 

It took nearly an hour of circling around before we were given the okay to land. I was glad Serena suggested that I added fuel into the auxiliary tank just to be safe. I knew headwinds were a possibility as we flew across the ocean so I had made sure we filled those tanks. 

 

We were directed to taxi into a hanger where a human immigration agent stood. Clearing our paperwork was a piece of cake and after we were done we waved the officer away and partially shut the hanger doors. 

 

“I paid them extra to rent the hanger for the whole time we’re gone,” Peter explained as we walked over to the awaiting vehicles. 

 

I was smilin’ because as soon as the human left, Isabella let out a squeal of delight at the Shelby Mustang that was parked next to Peter’s. In an instant, she ran up to it and was currently looking all around the car with a big grin on her face. 

 

“Peter, you know we’re going to have to race,” she said with a wicked gleam in her eyes. 

 

“I suppose that is in order,” Peter said. “You name the time and place, Cookie and we’ll race.” 

 

“Deal!” she replied.

 

“Alright, let’s load them up and get the fuck out of here,” I said. I was ready to get back to our house. 

 

Within minutes, we were all ready to go. I could tell Peter and Char were looking forward to downtime as much as we were. 

 

“Anybody up for a late dinner tonight?” Isabella asked as she got into the driver’s seat. 

 

Peter and Char exchanged a quick glance and nodded. “Sure we’re game. Just let us know when and where,” he replied. 

 

“I could go for some grub myself,” I said and got into the passenger’s side. 

 

“Great, see you tonight guys!” Isabella said with a smile as the engine roared to life. “Hang on cowboy.” She laughed and squealed the tires as we left the airport. 

 

The ride was quiet as she sped through the streets and up to our mountain home. As she turned and headed up the narrow path, the excitement and relief comin’ off her was strong. 

 

I smiled as she reached over and grabbed my hand. 

 

“Shit, I don’t have a remote,” she muttered breaking the silence. 

 

“I’ll get you one,“ I said as I hopped out of the car and used the keypad to open the garage door. 

 

I went into the one of the drawers that lined the end of the garage and found an extra remote for her car and attached it to the visor after I helped her out of the car.

 

We grabbed our things and headed up to the house, where we unloaded quickly. She put the 4 bottles of Bella Blood on one of the bookshelves and then threw the stash of blood bags into the fridge while I put away the books and things we bought during our trip. I was in our closet hanging up my suit when I felt her arms around me. 

 

“It feels so good to be back here,” Isabella said as I turned around. 

 

“Yes it does. Want to do anything?” I asked as I picked her up and carried her out onto the couch. 

 

“You know what I want to do but not right now?” She asked with a big grin.

 

“What?” I asked and smiled back. 

 

“We can ride our bikes together, separately. I mean, I love that we rode the same bike together but I think it would be fun to ride them side by side and all,” she said. I noticed there was just a little bit of nervousness comin’ off of her. 

 

“No, I like that,” I said and I immediately felt the nervousness leavin’. “Make no mistake, woman, I’ll still insist that we ride together on occasion,” I teased as I kissed her along her neck. 

 

“Mmm, you won’t get any arguments from me, cowboy,” she whispered breathlessly. She looked up at the direction of the War Room. “Let’s check in with Serena before we get carried away.” She reluctantly stood up and grabbed my hand. 

 

Isabella signed onto the computer and sent a quick note to Serena letting her know that we were back before goin’ through her emails. I sat next to her and noticed the CD I had brought out prior to Peter and Char’s arrival and our crazy ass trip. I shook my head and crushed the disk since it was no longer useful. 

 

“Was that the CD that had the empty files?” she asked, looking up at the sound. 

 

I nodded. “Seein’ it’s of no use anymore... fuckin’ Serge,” I muttered. 

 

Isabella was deep in thought after that. I looked at her as she got up and started to pace around the room. 

 

“Babe?” 

 

“Huh?” She stopped and looked over. “It just occurred to me as I saw you with the CD and then when you muttered his name that maybe this began before the Cullens’ demise?” She sat down next to me and looked at me. 

 

“Talk to me,” I said as I grabbed her hands and held them. 

 

“Given what we know now about Maria,” she began, “could Serge have been planted into the Volturi as a mole?” She started to tap her finger to her chin. “ I can ask Jane what the back story with Serge was. I know he was with the guards for nearly a decade before his assignment. Would it be too far-fetched to think maybe he _was_ a part of her plan?” 

 

It was an interesting thought. It wouldn’t surprise me, given what we knew now. “No, it isn’t too far-fetched. It is an interesting angle for sure. Why don’t we table that for now until we meet up with Jane? I think Aro would be another good source of information. And wouldn’t Marcus have gotten an inkling about his bonds?” 

 

Isabella made a face. “I know there are holes to the idea. If you hadn’t realized he was sabotaging the mission, what would have been the possible outcome?” 

 

I pulled her onto my lap and kissed her hair. “I probably would have ended up bein’ discovered by humans and that would have been disastrous.” I took a deep breath before continuing. “As I mentioned, since he was not only my partner but also did Serena’s job, I rarely saw him. Things in the beginning were fine, although he was a smug ass. He was always frightened of me and I am pretty sure it was because of the scars. Well, the first few years I saw nothing that would have indicated that I should not trust him. After I got back from Peter and Char’s wedding, we were assigned another mission and it was during that time that my office was torched.” 

 

Deciding that it was more comfortable talkin’ on the couch, I walked us out of the War Room and we settled down so I could tell her what I knew of Serge. “It was made to look like the fire was due to faulty electrical wiring. But, when you want to make it look like that, you don’t C4. I smelled the trace residue the next day, even after firefighters flooded the building with water in their attempt to put out the flames. It wasn’t a lot and humans weren’t able to find it, but my vampire senses recognized the scent. I knew it was the signature of the Volturi to use C4, like the house we torched that first night.”

 

Isabella smiled at the memory and placed her hand on my chest. 

 

“The thing is, Volturi issued C4 has a unique scent to it that is different than regular C4. It might be due to where the materials originate, but that stuff at the building was the same stuff that I use. I started to get suspicious and insisted that have more and more face time meetings. It was the only way I could get a good read on him. I started to feel a secondary set of emotions that was largely based on deceit.” I looked down at her and smiled wryly. “You know me and that set of emotions don’t get along so well.” 

 

Isabella pushed us down on the couch so we were lying down together. Her hands feathered against my neck and her love once again reminded me that I was home. 

 

“I sent him trust and that drunk cocktail and he revealed that he had set my office on fire,” I said, shutting my eyes and enjoying the feel of her fingertips. “I made sure he wasn’t aware that I managed to learn that secret. I took him to a bar, knowin’ that he preferred male prostitutes for meals and fun, and I made sure he had his share that evening. As far as he knew, his secrets were told to his meals.” 

 

“It is like what you did to Emmett back then,” she commented. 

 

“Exactly. I repeated the process a few times during that mission until he let it slip that I was going to be told to finish the job at an abandoned warehouse. I never went and instead burned Serge. The cartel we had been observing was at the warehouse ready for a gun battle. _Somebody_ had told them that their rival was responsible for destroying a yacht of theirs the month prior so they were in the building, hiding and waiting for these folks to show up.”

 

“So had you gone in, it would have been an ambush. They would have shot at you and then that would have raised questions about your nature,” Isabella concluded and I nodded. “The only way you could have gotten out was to destroy the whole building and plant it so it looked like it looked like just another cartel drug war.”

 

“Yes, but I didn’t have the necessary equipment to do that,” I said. “Per our arrangement back then, the Volturi agent would only supply me with equipment to destroy our evidence and cover it up. After Serge, I made damn sure to have a small arsenal readily available. You saw some of it when we were at Forks and it’s a reason why I prefer to travel in my own plane.” 

 

“I don’t blame you,” Isabella said before she shook her head. “That whole Serge debacle was pretty fucked up, but I am glad you didn’t go and I am glad you destroyed him too.” She moved up and captured my lips in a long hard kiss. My hands reached under her top and felt the bare flesh of her lower back. 

 

“I’m glad I didn’t go either. I was nervous after sendin’ the box of ashes back to Italy. I was afraid that my services were no longer needed but I am glad they felt otherwise.” 

 

“They celebrated for days at Volterra when they got your package,” she said, smiling as she started to undo the buttons on my shirt. “I volunteered almost immediately, which as you can guess, had Heidi and Jane teasing me for weeks.” 

 

I chuckled. “I was assigned to observe El Tigre soon after and then Serena came in and actually created a task force to help with the intel gatherin’. It wasn’t until it was time to make a move that I found out I had a new partner,” I whispered as she peeled open my shirt and started leavin’ open mouthed kisses on my chest. I pulled her back up to me and sat up so she could wrap her legs around me as I decided we should take this elsewhere. 

 

I walked us to the courtyard and sat down on the lounger. The warm rain was just a mist now and the scent of tropical flowers perfumed the air. 

 

“Hey, where do you want to go tonight for dinner?” I whispered against her ear.

 

“I don’t know; it will be the four of us. How about the cantina that shares the alleyway at the strip club we like to go to?” she asked as she ran her fingertips up and down the palm of my hand. “It has some good music if we choose to dance, but even if we don’t, there is some fun people watching.” 

 

“I like that,” I replied. “I think they would too. Want them to meet us around midnight?” 

 

“That sounds nice. Hey, how about a quick spin on the bikes right now? I don’t think we can go too long, it feels like a huge storm is coming.” 

 

I nodded and finished sending the message about dinner over to Peter. Given our sensitivity to the changes in air pressure and such, I estimated that the storm was probably going to slam into town in an hour. We headed down to the bikes and decided to go for a quick ride around the jungle on separate bikes. It felt almost foreign as I got on the bike without her and started the motor. She was feelin’ the same thing - we were just so used to riding together. The quick ride through the jungle was fun. I hadn’t realized just how sexy she looked on a bike until she sped off ahead of me before I overtook the lead and sped past her. A shot of lust hit me as I got ahead of Isabella and I chuckled as I realized we both thought the same exact thing of each other. 

 

Sure enough, by the time we had circled around the town along the waterfront and turned back up the mountain road, the sky opened up and poured down. We sped a little faster, kickin’ the mud up as we tackled the last tenth of a mile before we got to the garage. 

 

“That was fun,” Isabella said as she took off her helmet and unzipped her jacket. “But I definitely wouldn’t mind it one bit if we still rode together once in a while.” 

 

I looked at her and smiled. “That shot of lust you sent me as I passed by said otherwise.” I took off my jacket and draped it over my bike. 

 

She shrugged. “What can I say? I’m in love with a sexy ass cowboy.” She ran up to me and pulled me down for a kiss. 

 

We walked back to the house together. Our jeans were pretty soaked and a little muddy from the rain.

 

“Come on, let’s wash off the mud,” I suggested and tossed her over my shoulder. She laughed as I walked us into the bedroom and into the grotto. 

 

When I got into the cavern, I pressed her against the rock wall and kissed her lips while I ran my fingers under her shirt and up along her ribs. I reached behind her and unhooked her bra before I pulled her shirt off her. The cavern was warm, and the pool was full of steamy water.

 

“I miss being in paradise with you,” she whispered as she kissed my collarbone. 

 

Isabella pulled my shirt off completely and twisted her body, using her momentum to flip us so that I was now pressed up against the wall. I reached around and grabbed a hold of her ass as she ran her hands along my chest before pressin’ her body against mine. We both moaned at the feel of our bare skin touchin’ and I could feel she wanted more; we both did. I felt her fingers slide under the waistband of my jeans before her hands quickly undid them. I toed off my boots as she slowly slid hers off, her eyes never leavin’ mine as we both took off the rest of our clothes. She reached for my hands and we continued to stare at each other as she walked slowly backwards into the pool of water. 

 

Nothing was hurried as we kissed and ran our hands all over each other. It had been a while since we could take our time and enjoy. There were no Volturi meetings, no plane rides; it was just us, here, now. I sat down on the ledge in the pool and she wrapped her legs around me. 

 

I wanted her. I wanted to be deep inside of her as she grabbed a hold of my cock and ran her hand up and down my length. I leaned my head back so it rested on the cavern floor and moaned. She licked my throat and nipped my collarbone as she rolled her hips against me. She moaned at the contact and I crashed my lips against hers. 

 

“Jasper,” she whispered against my lips. 

 

I looked into her eyes; they were dark and full of passion. I watched as she reached her hand down to rub her clit. I lifted her up slightly and watched as she slowly lowered herself down my cock. She was wet - even in the water I could feel it, and the scent of her desire rose from the steam. She slid down achingly slow. There was so much wonder and passion reflected in her eyes that I couldn’t stop looking into them; she mesmerized me. It was fuckin’ sexy as hell to see, feel and practically taste her as she let out another moan of pleasure. I reached and grabbed onto her hips and just enjoyed feelin’ her all around me.

 

She moved slowly up and down. My hands glided up from her hips up her side, cuppin’ her breasts. My thumbs rubbed against her nipples and I felt them harden from my touch. 

 

“Fuck... Isabella,” I growled out. 

 

“Oh god... so good,” she moaned, starting to move faster. 

 

She was panting and looked so fuckin’ beautiful. I bent down and took a nipple into my mouth while I rolled her other one between my fingers. I felt her hands grab onto my hair. 

 

“Jasper... fuck... more!” she panted. , Her head was now tossed back, and her eyes were clenched shut. 

 

I reached behind her neck and brought her closer to me. “Turn around and grab onto the edge of the pool,” I whispered against her ear, causing her to shiver and her lust to increase tenfold. 

 

She slowly unwrapped her legs from around me and bit her lip. I kissed her hard, nippin’ at her bottom lip before she turned around and moved away from the underwater ledge. Her hands clawed the cavern floor as I eased into her from behind. She let out a hiss of pleasure as I once again grabbed onto her hips and started movin’ against her. 

 

Our growls filled the air. Water sloshed onto the cavern floor as I continued a little deeper and just a little faster. 

 

“Yes, Jasper... fuck me!” she moaned breathlessly. 

 

I moved harder as she arched her back and was rewarded by more of her growls and moans. Her words became incoherent as her walls started to tighten around me. I was gettin’ close too. I thrust faster and wrapped one arm around her waist as I leaned over her. 

 

“That’s it, Isabella,” I said and growled. “I can feel you’re close.” Her head rested against my shoulder and I could see her eyes were tightly clenched shut. My teeth grazed her shoulder and neck as she continued to whimper and moan. 

 

“Fuck... yes!” Her chest was heaving. 

 

I reached down as I felt the slight tremble of her legs. My cock swelled and her walls became even tighter. My finger brushed against her swollen clit and she moaned at my touch. I rubbed just a little harder and she cried out my name, her voice echoin’ inside the stone cave. I answered my siren’s call with a roar of my own, my cock throbbin’ inside of her. I held her tight against me as we slowly came down from our orgasm, still pantin’. 

 

I moved us around so I could sit down once again on the ledge and brought her against me. I kissed her temple and saw her smile. Her eyes were still closed. Her love swirled around me, enveloping me. I kissed her eyelids before kissin’ her lips tenderly. Her eyes slowly opened and she reached her hands out to hold my face and kiss me as more love poured out of her. 

 

I leaned my head against hers. I was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of emotions that came from her. I sent her my love in return and her arms wrapped around me and she held me even tighter. We just held onto each other.

 

The sun had gone down and night had fallen by the time we finally emerged from the cavern tub. It was definitely paradise as I knew she liked to call it. We spent the whole day just enjoyin’ each other’s company and touches. We would have stayed a little longer but I started to feel the slight hunger pangs comin’ from Isabella and noticed I was gettin’ a little hungry too. 

 

“Hey,” I began as we got into the closet and started getting dressed. “When we were at Volterra and the kings were plannin’ the trip, Caius complained about roughing it because they had to hunt. Why do they get involved with all this drug stuff when they feed off of tourists?” 

 

Isabella was lookin’ at her clothes in her underwear as she looked over at me, laughing. “You know, I had the same conversation with Heidi and Jane?” She found a top and skirt and quickly slipped them on before she grabbed a pair of cowboy boots I had insisted on buyin’ her one afternoon. 

 

I whistled appreciatively at her outfit and she smiled brightly as we headed out the bedroom. 

 

“There are still some folks at Volterra, namely the Kings and their wives as well as a few of the senior guards that are old school and prefer the more traditional meal, you know, like the tourists. It is a little less nefarious than hunting for criminals and deviants,” she began as we stretched out on the couch. “Being royalty, the kings and wives take it a step further by having their meals brought to them. At some point, from what I was told, there was a change in attitude and guards started to feed off of criminals. I am not sure when it happened but I think the idea of the thrill of the hunt was a reason. Demetri actually converted a couple years ago when he took the Russia assignment with Gianna. Since nobody was there to provide tourist meals to him, he ended up hunting for criminals on occasion and eventually converted to that diet. With the mobs being formed in that country and their civil unrest, he’s not hurting for meals.” 

 

“I guess it didn’t occur to me that our type of feedin’ was normal these days.” 

 

“I also think it can be a way for us to adapt to society. Look at the media these days. When folks turn up missing, it becomes a circus sometimes. However, a drug dealer, a junkie or even a serial rapist isn’t going to really attract too much sustained attention or better yet, have movies made of them. That is why they started to get into the organized crime and drug arena, knowing it would provide us with meals. If I had to guess, they learned from the Southern Wars and instead of being directly involved, they just control the various groups, much like a giant chess match. When I first discussed this with Heidi and Jane, I was a newborn so you can only imagine what came out of my mouth,” she said with a snicker. “I actually started calling the tourists the veals of the vampire word.” 

 

I looked at Isabella and laughed. I remember hearin’ the controversy of the inhumane treatment of how veal was produced and the uproar it caused with many humans. 

 

“I hoped that term didn’t reach the ears of the kings but I know Felix found out about it, because for months afterwards he’d moo at me. As to why the kings provide us with a supply if meals, well, I guess that is their way of making sure their subjects are taken care of. They don’t necessarily have to feed the same way we do, they just understand that it is what the majority of folks are doing.” 

 

I nodded. “They are pretty fair leaders then if they understand their people.” 

 

“I think so. The only thing that they just didn’t understand was the animal blood thing, more specifically the way the Cullens were. The kings probably wouldn’t give a shit if a typical vampire chose the animal diet route, but it was the acting too much like a human that bothered them, you know?” 

 

“No, that makes sense. I think I’d feel the same way.” 

 

My phone buzzed just then and I saw it was a message from Peter. _‘Hope you’re decent, we’re on our way.’_

 

I showed Isabella the message and she grabbed the phone out of my hands and quickly texted a message back to Peter before handing it back to me, tryin’ to keep from laughin’. _‘Shut up fucker, we’re playing rodeo.’_

 

I laughed hard at the message. “You know that just lit a fire on his ass and he’s going to get here in no time.” 

 

“I know. He’s such a pervy brother,” Isabella said with a grin. 

 

Sure enough, within five minutes we heard the Mustang roarin’ up the drive and we laughed even harder. The two of them must have ran up from the elevator to see if they could catch us because they came stormin’ in from the courtyard entrance.

 

“Where’s the fire, Polaroid?” Isabella asked as we continued to lounge on the couch. 

 

“What... but... you...” Peter sputtered and then realized he’d been had. “Fuckers,” He grumbled. 

 

We all laughed headed back to the garage and Peter and Char decided they would follow us as I helped Isabella into the truck. “We can take one car if you want.” 

 

“Nah, we’re good, we might dine and dash so we figured two cars would be best,” Peter explained. 

 

My brother and sister probably needed more moments like we had this afternoon and I didn’t blame them. I didn’t want to bring it up so I nodded and headed down the mountain road. 

 

The cantina was crowded and many of the patrons were already drunk. We managed to find a table and the four of us sat down and ordered a bottle of vodka. Isabella explained that it was the closest thing the bar had to the grain alcohol that we added into our drinks. When the bottle arrived she poured out the glasses. 

 

“Here’s to the newest member of the Whitlock family,” Char announced and raised her glass as Peter and I followed. 

 

Isabella was so overwhelmed by the gesture, she looked like she could cry. I put my arm around her as she whispered her gratitude quietly and we all drank our glasses, grimacing as we slammed the glasses down.

 

“Babe,” I said as I brushed my fingers against her jaw. “I love you and she’s right. I know you want it to be official but if you want to take the name now, you can.” 

 

Isabella nodded. “I... I want to do it right and wait,” she said, tears shimmered in her eyes. “Being that I never thought of myself as one to get married, I figure I just want to do this once and do it right if that is alright. I know we’re not really living creatures anymore but still...”

 

I rubbed my hand down Isabella’s back and sent her some calm. “Let’s start lookin’ for some meals, it’ll do us all some good,” I suggested knowin’ that we all tend to get a little oversensitive to things when we get a little hungry. 

 

“Sounds good to me, Major,” Peter replied and pulled Char onto the dance floor. “Don’t say I never take you out dancin’, woman.” 

 

Char laughed and smacked him on the ass just as she wrapped her arms around him and started dancin’. 

 

I looked at Isabella and held out my hand. She placed hers on mine and we headed out to the dance floor and started lookin’ around. At vampire speed, I explained to Peter that the nearby alley and the empty lot to the north of this building were good places to bring the meals out. I felt both his and Char’s appreciation and a minute later they separated themselves from each other and started walkin’ around the bar, lookin’ for dinner. 

 

“My two o’ clock,” Isabella whispered and I spun around so I could look. Two men and a women were watchin’ us and I knew the men were her pimps. 

 

“They’re her pimps, what do you want to do?” I whispered against her ear. 

 

“Can we have all of them?” 

 

“I don’t see why not,” I responded and shot them some lust and confidence as well as interest as I grabbed Isabella’s ass, all while starin at them. She turned around so we both faced them and I knew she was trying to lure and entice the woman towards us as we continued to dance. My fingers lifted her skirt a little higher as I continued to caress her legs. The woman was turned on, as were the men.

 

I gave a signal to the trio that we were headin’ outside and we slowly walked out of the bar. Once outside, I took a breath and could tell that Peter and Char were usin’ the alley to feed at the moment so we walked towards the empty lot. I continued to caress Isabella as we heard their footsteps near the bar entrance. 

 

Once we got there, I pulled Isabella into a hard kiss and we continued to run our hands all over our bodies, puttin’ on a show for the three who were now watchin’ silently. Their lust was heavy and I also felt some deviousness comin’ off the two men. I knew they wanted to get us in a compromisin’ position so they could mug us. This was something I had seen attempted too many times while I had been here. It wasn't a surprise to learn that they would kidnap the female and drug her if they felt she could provide them with income.

 

“They’re comin’ and the men have a plan,” I whispered quietly to Isabella. She winked, understanding exactly what I meant.

 

We walked closer to the back and I pinned her against the wall, the only reminder that this land once had a building sittin’ on it. 

 

“Oh baby, yes!” Isabella cooed in Spanish, loud enough for the humans to hear, hiking her leg around my thigh.

 

“You like that don’t you?” I responded as I ran my hand along her thigh and grabbed her ass, pullin’ her hard against me and causin’ her to moan. 

 

“Would you like some company?” the female asked as she sashayed towards us. She was drunk and from the scent of her blood and the way it was coursin’ through her body, she must have been drugged as well; they usually were. 

 

“Baby, I want to share you tonight and I want to be shared,” Isabella said breathlessly as she looked at the three humans. I watched as her eyes slowly appraised the scene, practically eye fuckin’ the three. All the while though, she was sendin’ me her love. 

 

The men got closer as well. The female started towards Isabella. Their lust was growin’; clearly they were interested in our bodies as well as our money. I turned to look at them all. Isabella was standin’ in front of me as I reached and gave her tits a squeeze. She moaned out loud so the three could hear and they got even closer. With a squeeze of her hand in mine, I knew she had had enough. She was thirsty and gettin’ impatient. I needed to take care of my mate; her throat was startin’ to burn. I quickly sent them enough fear to freeze them in place while she used her shield to pin them on the ground. 

 

We fed on the men first as we kept the female down. Our eyes looked at each other as I felt her pleasure as soon as she took the first pull. I sent her my love as I continued to drink from the man, all the while sendin’ a steady stream of fear to the three. She dropped the man after she was done and sighed in relief. I finished my meal 10 seconds later. 

 

“Thank you,” she said. “I was starting to get annoyed by them.” 

 

“No need to explain, darlin’, ready for dessert?” I asked. 

 

“Hell yeah!” 

 

We grabbed the female and threw her against the wall, not at vampire strength but just enough that she was dazed. Isabella grabbed her by the hair and jerked her head back, exposin’ her neck for us. We both bit down on her and quickly drained her. I was right; she was on drugs as I tasted the distinct tang of heroin. When we were done, I dragged the two men while Isabella grabbed the dead hooker and we ran to the alley where a dumpster was already burnin’. We dumped the three in and quickly straightened our clothes before headin’ back into the bar. 

 

My brother and sister waved us back to the table where they poured more vodka into our glasses. Their eyes were bright and they were both calmer as we sat down and grabbed our drinks. 

 

“Thanks for the suggestion, Major. We each got a couple good ones tonight,” Peter said. 

 

“Were you that hungry?” I asked him, concerned that all this Maria bullshit was already takin’ a toll on them. 

 

“Nah, we overindulged is all,” Peter explained. “It’s our early anniversary dinner since we’re gonna be training soon. We decided to celebrate it tonight, which is why we wanted to take separate cars.” 

 

I nodded and refilled our glasses, finishin’ up the bottle. “Well then,” I said as I raised my glass. “To Peter and Char - congratulations on your weddin’ anniversary. May you have an eternity of happiness.” 

 

We clinked our glasses and downed the burnin’ liquid, preferring to cut it with the blood. 

 

Isabella reached across the table and hugged both of them as we all got up to leave. I left some bills on the table and we followed them out the door.

 

“Come on over tomorrow if you want, otherwise, we’ll text you with the instructions,” I said quietly as I hugged Peter before getting into our truck. We all waved goodbye and we headed home to relax and prepare ourselves for training. 

 

 


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to the following - HeavyInfinity has been one helluva beta – thank you so much. Early pre-readers JaspersBella and SparklingFae when this was really rough and raw. JaspersWoman for making damn sure this stuff makes sense. As always, DarkNNerdy for feeding me music and food porn – she's just awesome like that. YOU WOMEN ALL ROCK HARD!!!
> 
> Last I looked, I'm not SM so I cannot take credit for Bella and Jasper. I just like playing with them.

 

**Chapter 24**

 

_**Songs -** _

_**Black Hearts on Fire – Jet** _

_**So Cold – Breaking Benjamin** _

 

**BPOV**

 

We sat out looking over the edge of the mountain, looking at the sunrise. The rainclouds were covering much of the sun. I greeted my dad as usual but this time I also added that we were going to be training for battle and that I might not be able to greet him each and every morning until things were back to normal. I hadn’t told Jasper my decision yet. I felt like I needed to tell Charlie first, even if it was a conversation I had with him in my mind. 

 

We sat in silence, our hands touching as the sunlight filtered through the clouds and the day began. 

 

Jasper caressed my jaw as he lifted my head up to meet his gaze. His eyes were full of concern as he must have felt my sadness as well as my determination. 

 

“I made a decision,” I began, resting my head on Jasper’s shoulder. “I told my dad, just now, that I wasn’t going to be able to greet him every morning until all this was over.” 

 

“Are you sure?” he asked as he ran his hands through my hair. “I wouldn’t ask that of you.” 

 

“I know you wouldn’t and that is all the more reason to love you. You’re a good man, Jasper Whitlock.” I took a deep breath and continued, “The whole idea of using the element of surprise to our advantage got me thinking and this morning ritual is a routine. I am not saying that I’ll give up on greeting Charlie but, for now, I want to and need to break out of that.”

 

“I wasn’t plannin’ on scheduling training time at sunrise to give you those few moments.” 

 

“Yes, but everybody else is breaking out of their routine, this is the least I can do.” I reached up and touched his lips with my fingertips. “It is something I want to do. There will be hundreds and thousands more sunrises with you sitting next to me in the future and that is what I want to look forward to. Besides, if for some strange reason we’re being spied on, that would be one thing they’d see right away and I don't want to give them anything they could use against us.” 

 

He pulled me closer, holding me tight in his arms and sending me his strong, powerful love. I held on as I ran my fingers through his hair, showing him how much love I had for him in return. I liked that we didn’t always need to say the words and it was every bit meaningful, if not more so. 

 

“Come on, let’s get the day started.” He moved my legs so they were tightly around his torso as he got up and we headed back to get ready for the day. 

 

We headed to the War Room, where we had left our phones before we had gone outside. There weren’t any messages so I sat down in front of the metal table as Jasper grabbed some photos off the color printer. 

 

Serena had sent us some photos of locations for possible training grounds and Jasper printed them out, along with a map of that consisted of a 1000 mile radius of where we were. All of us had access to an aircraft, so traveling to a training facility wasn’t a problem. I watched as Jasper pinned each training area onto the map and then used colored flags to denote where all the groups were located in relation to the facilities. There were four groups total that we needed to coordinate: Serena’s group, the guards’ group which had split up so they occupied two large cities nearby, and the four of us. The training grounds were located all over the place and it looked like all of us would have to fly, drive or run to the various locations at some point or another. 

 

“All you need is some string on that map and it would look like one of those spy movie scenes,” I laughed. 

 

Jasper chucked as he grabbed a Sharpie off the table. He mapped out some land and I laughed as he drew a skull and crossbones inside the territory he had created. 

 

“Phoenix territory?” I asked and Jasper nodded.

 

“Most of these are old, abandoned buildings like factories and hangars. They’re large enough to give us all room to practice covertly,” he explained. “With the upcomin’ storms, this is the perfect time to practice without drawing attention to ourselves.”

 

“What if someone uses the hangar or the buildings during this time?” I asked. “Last thing we need are nosy humans that want to loiter or explore these buildings.” 

 

“A lot of these places look like they’ve been swallowed up by the jungle, as you can see from the aerial photos. They are either in the deep, dense jungle or in high altitude.” He pointed to the two rusty airplane hangars near Maria’s land. “I’d worry the most about these places because it would be easy for her to get one of her minions to investigate, so I’d leave them off of the list. 

 

He grabbed his camera and took a picture of the map and sent it to both Serena and Alec. He then grabbed his computer and set it up for the morning briefing. We patched into a secured channel and greeted everybody on the line. 

 

“Before we begin, I need to tell you something,” Alec began. “You and Serena have crates waiting at your respective airports. It is imperative that everybody training must use the contents before arriving at the training areas and it would be prudent to carry some with you for when you leave as well.” 

 

Well, that sounded cryptic. I looked at Jasper and he shrugged. He didn’t know what that was about either. 

 

“Alec, can you please elaborate?” Jasper asked.

 

“Sure, can we switch to video first?” 

 

Within seconds, his face appeared on the laptop and Jasper projected the image on the wall in front of us. Serena appeared soon after, the confusion apparent on her face as well.

 

“Sorry about that,” Alec said with a grin. “I tend to get carried away.” He held up a couple different bottles. “This is what you’ll all be receiving. Through extensive studies and research, Renata and I have created a liquid that is able to take away your scent. There is also a spray for your clothing as well.”

 

“Come again?” Serena blurted out as I looked quizzically at the projected image of Alec. 

 

“We got this idea from humans and their extensive use of products to mask odor or protect themselves from the sun. We wanted to see if there was a way to take our scent away, even for a brief period of time. Through reverse engineering and a few decades of research, we were finally able to create this lotion, which will allow you to roam around scent free.” Alec put his finger up in the air before continuing. “There is one caveat though. It only lasts about an hour and then it is done. I figure we can instruct everybody to use it prior to leaving your immediate areas. If the trip takes longer than an hour, well, I’d recommend that you put some more on as you near the training area.” 

 

“Are there risks involved with this stuff?” Jasper asked. 

 

“Nothing that would prove harmful to vampire skin,” Alec replied. “The only risk is its short duration. I would also emphasize that it doesn’t render you invisible or anything. We’ll still need to exercise stealth, but you’re scentless for that brief time. That is why I’d recommend you carry more along for the return trip. I’ll provide some at each facility but if your trip takes longer than an hour, well, you and your respective groups will need to factor that in.” 

 

“Has this been tested?” I asked. I was still a little skeptical about this stuff; it just sounded too good to be true. 

 

“We have. Demetri and Gianna have been using it up in Russia for the past few winters as they visited Alaska to spy on the Denalis. We also had Felix and Afton to try it out at random times while they were in the castle and so far, it appears to work. We used them because we wanted to eliminate the notion that animal blood suppressed the senses, especially those who were close to _them_. In addition to Volturi guards, both Gerard at the club and the jeweler in Florence have tested it as well.” 

 

I snorted at Alec’s emphasis on ‘them’, knowing who he meant, and Jasper looked over and winked at me. 

 

Jasper nodded. “Alright, we’ll use this de-scenting lotion. I want to re-emphasize what Alec said though, we should still exercise stealth as we all leave for the trainin’ facilities,” he said. “Don’t forget, it isn’t only the nose, the eyes could still be watchin’. Now then, how about we start our first session at 2100 hours tonight? Accordin’ to satellite reports, there should be a nice storm around then?” 

 

Alec and Serena nodded. 

 

“Good. Since none of the facilities are more than 3 hours away from any of the groups, I’ll send y’all an email through my secured account about where we will meet a few hours beforehand.” 

 

“Sounds good to me, that will give me time to get our groups coordinated,” Alec said. 

 

“After tonight, we’ll decide on the time for the next lesson with details of the time to be emailed later. We could also schedule a daily briefing to go over any leads or news at the end of the lesson as well. If any of us needs to get a hold of each other ASAP, text first and then conference over the secured line. But make sure your message doesn’t sound suspicious in case it gets intercepted,” Jasper said. “Nuthin’ that’s too closely associated with vampires , just to be on the safe side. Now then, since we’re all here, Serena, what is the status on the spheres?”

 

“We received them last night and we have a delivery van full of alcohol we’ll be spiking before delivery this afternoon to the local bars,” Serena said. 

 

“So we could start monitorin’ tonight after the bars close?” Jasper asked Serena and Alec. 

 

“Theoretically, as soon as they ingest the spheres they can be monitored but we’re trying to use the humans to gather intel on Phoenix, so an hour should be sufficient,” Alec said. “It will give our subjects enough time to get to their destination.”

 

“Good. Good job guys. You’ll hear from me later this evening,” Jasper said. 

 

“Thanks, Whitlock. Serena, have your tech experts get in touch with me and we can work on that program to help you monitor the spheres better,” Alec said. “I’ll see you all tonight.” 

 

“Thank you, Whitlock, I look forward to meeting with you officially,” Serena said. 

 

We hung up the video conference call and looked at each other. 

 

“De-scenting lotion?” I asked, still a little surprised there was such a thing. 

 

“I know, it is a little strange,” Jasper said as he reached for my hands and pulled me into his lap. 

 

“It is,” I said. “This has to be different than what you experienced back when you were a soldier.” 

 

Jasper chuckled and I turned towards him, resting my hand on his chest. “Different is an understatement. Back in the day, we didn’t take as many precautions. We’d go in and destroy and burn the fuckin’ place. Nobody was spared in our carnage and the news didn’t cover it all the time, so yeah, much different.”

 

I nodded and reached for his hand. “I didn’t mean to bring all that up. Is it overwhelming with all the technology?” 

 

“I don’t mind talkin’ to you about it, so long as you aren’t upset about it. I won’t ever hide anything from you, Isabella. The time we’re takin’ to plan and all is definitely different and then to incorporate the technology...” He shook his head. “Definitely different but it is good. I hope to use it to our advantage. We’re being careful and I’d rather be careful than careless.”

 

“You’ve got a point. should we call Peter and Char to let them know of tonight’s plans?” I asked.

 

“Yes but first, let’s go pick up the crate. I want to test it on them.” 

 

I laughed. “That will be funny unless he gets a snapshot of it.” I said with a grin. 

 

“Let’s hope not, but either way, it’ll be a good test,” he replied as we headed out the War Room. 

 

The trip to the airport was uneventful and this time we didn’t have to spend too much time filing out the paperwork. The airline employees were in the middle of some sort of audit and their attention was drawn away from us so Jasper was quickly able to fill out the paperwork and we were out of there in no time. 

 

When we got back, we broke open the crate and looked at the bottles and sprays. They were very unassuming. Their shapes reminded me of sunscreen containers only these didn’t have a label on them. I grabbed us a couple of each as Jasper called Peter to ask if he could come out and help him plan the training tonight. I heard Peter’s loud voice say that he’d be there in ten minutes to strategize with the Major.

 

“It’s done, but you mostly heard his loud ass voice,” Jasper said as he came into the closet. “Told him to just come in.” He grabbed the bottle I handed him. 

 

I watched as he sniffed the contents of the bottle and shrugged. 

 

A minute later we had slathered ourselves in the lotion and sprayed our clothes. I took a sniff of Jasper and was disappointed that I could no longer smell that intoxicating scent of his. I looked up just as Jasper made a face. 

 

“I can’t smell you anymore,” he grumbled. “I guess it means it works but still, if I didn’t know about this, I’d be disturbed.” 

 

“I know, I am glad it only lasts an hour,” I said, wrapping my arms around his neck. Jasper responded by running his hands up and down my back and I sighed. “Your touches still feel good though, cowboy.” 

 

“What about this?” He asked as he kissed my lips. I held onto him even tighter as we deepened our kiss. A few minutes later, we broke out of it as we heard the Mustang coming up the drive. Jasper smiled and motioned me to stay quiet. I took the aerosol spray and sprayed it around the room, wondering if that would work as well. 

 

“Major! Cookie! We’re here,” Peter announced. 

 

I tried not to smile too much as we slowly walked out of the closet. 

 

“Where are you?” Peter asked and we heard him let out a growl as he raced into our bedroom where we were sneaking along the wall. He was poised to attack.

 

“What the fuck?” Peter yelled and sniffed. “I heard movement and knew it wasn’t human but I couldn’t smell you two.” He leaned over and sniffed again. “Char! Come check this.” 

 

We both looked as nonchalant as we could as Char came up to us and sniffed us as well. She didn’t yell out like Peter did but you could still tell that she was annoyed and confused. 

 

Jasper tossed the two different bottles at Peter, who caught them before giving us a questioning look. 

 

We lead them into the War Room while Jasper explained the purpose of the lotion and spray to his brother and sister. We all sat down but not before Peter and Char both looked at us and sniffed us again; Char tried to look more subtle doing it than Peter.

 

“That is just crazy, Major,” Peter exclaimed as he leaned back on his chair. “I never would have thought to produce that shit. That definitely explains the jeweler in Florence though.” 

 

“Welcome to a vampire battle in the new century,” Jasper said with a dark chuckle. “Until those spheres start workin’, we’ll have to assume we’re on even ground.” 

 

We all nodded in understanding and then Peter and Jasper started to work on a game plan for tonight. Fifty-five minutes later, Char pulled me aside and we headed out of the room. 

 

“Your scent is comin’ back,” Char said. “Hey, can I try some of that?”

 

I nodded and handed her a couple bottles and she went into a small spare room and prepped. A minute later, she motioned me to come on in and showed me a message she typed on her phone. ‘I’ll walk behind you as we go in the room with the guys, I want to see if it works.’ I smiled and nodded as I walked in with her behind me. 

 

Peter was at the far end of the room with his back towards us as Jasper looked up and I motioned for him to be quiet and winked. 

 

“Cookie, where did the missus go? She was here a minute ago,” Peter muttered as the lotion's effects had finally dissipated. 

 

I stepped aside and Char ended up launching herself onto Peter’s back. She caught him completely unaware and the look on his face was hilarious. 

 

“Jesus, woman! What is this? Pick on Peter day?” he muttered as he sat down and pulled her into her lap. 

 

“Isn’t every day pick on Peter day?” I asked innocently and we laughed as Peter grumbled some more. 

 

Jasper shook his head at our antics and cleared his throat. “Now then.” He pointed to a photo on his map. “This old factory is where we’ll be trainin’ tonight.” He switched on the projector, showing a satellite close-up of the building along with its surroundings. “It is a 2 hour flight from here. We’ll be landing in this old field that is 2 clicks due south of the abandoned sugar plantation factory. A defunct cartel had used this place as a means of storin’ their drugs up until 3 years ago. We shouldn’t have a problem with humans since there is still a set of razor wire there which will keep them out of our way. Besides, we’re supposed to have some heavy rains this evening.” He flipped off the projector and started to type a message. “I’m letting Alec and Serena know where we’re going to be but I’m just sendin’ them the GPS coordinates…” 

 

Jasper started to rifle around a file before placing a picture of an airplane on the table. It was a prop plane and from the looks of it, it wasn’t taken care of as well as his Gulfstream. 

 

“Is that a Beriev 32?” Peter asked, whistling under his breath.

 

“Yeah, an original Soviet find,” Jasper said with a chuckle. “This plane was once used by some drug runners and identification has been stripped off of her. She’s a true smuggler’s plane; you couldn’t find her owner no matter now hard you tried,” Jasper explained as he looked at me. “We’re usin’ this when we have to travel because it is not easily detectable and if they’re mannin’ the airspace, they’ll just see us as another drug smuggler. We’ll leave a little early because we have to get to her and get her props to warm up. We’ll bring a couple bottles of that lotion for our trip. The plane is hidden in the jungle under some tarps 4.6 clicks north of here. Are we ready?”

 

We all nodded.

 

“Slather on and move ‘em out,” Jasper shouted. We all got ready and met up a couple minutes later, laughing as we looked at our outfits. The guys wore black fatigue pants and tight thermal tops. Char and I were dressed similarly, except our clothes were a little more fitted. My engagement ring was hanging on a leather string around my neck, for safe keeping. The lotion canisters were in a little bag. I leaned over to my brother and sister and sniffed. When I didn’t smell them at all, I gave them the thumbs up. I ran into the kitchen and grabbed a couple bags of blood in case we needed it to heal an injury out on the field. 

 

Jasper looked at me and I felt his pride and appreciation as I came back out of the kitchen, zipping up the duffel. “Smart, beautiful and sexy,” he whispered as he took my hand and we headed outside. 

 

“And yours, don’t forget that cowboy,” I whispered back as we started to run down the mountain with Peter and Char following behind us. 

 

“Never.” 

 

We ran swiftly down the mountain and north through the jungle. There, up ahead was something that appeared to be an outcropping of rocks and dirt. However, to our vampire eyes, the subtle repetitive pattern was clearly visible. Humans, if they got that far into the dense jungle growth and through the poisonous plants we passed through, wouldn’t have given the sight a second thought but I could tell immediately what it was. As we reached it, all four of us removed the tarp and Jasper opened the door to let us in, tossing the tarp into the back of the plane. I shrugged off the duffel bag and placed it inside some safety netting as Jasper fired up the engine. 

 

“There aren't any radio communications on this plane so air traffic won't be able to contact us. As you can see, there aren't any of the high tech gadgets like on the Gulfstream either. We truly need to rely on our senses with this but if human smugglers can do it, we can as well with no problem,” Jasper said to me as he held out his hand so I could sit next to him. 

 

“Do we have enough fuel?” I asked.

 

“Yeah, there is a full tank,” Jasper explained. “If we need to refuel, drug runners and criminals have created a network of sorts for fuel; there are hidden storage tanks, secret taps into the pipeline and such. That’s why we’re usin’ this plane, so no one questions us if we need to get more.”

 

The plane was definitely louder than his Gulfstream but after a few minutes to warm up, we were in the air. 

 

I looked back to check on Peter and Char. She was on his lap, holding his hand. I smiled as I watched them and felt Jasper’s hand in mine. I looked up into his eyes and got up from my seat to sit on his lap while he controlled the plane. 

 

“So how often to you use this bad boy?” I asked. 

 

“Not often. The speedboat is used more than this,” he explained and once again I smiled at the memory of that fateful first night.

 

“That was a find for you as well?” I asked. 

 

“It was at first but then I used a series of pseudonyms and fictitious corporations to purchase and repurchase the boat. Then I painted it up so there is no association to me or the fact that it was an ill gotten gain from one of my missions. Technically, it is owned by a Javier Valdez Montoya,” he said, and gave me a devilish wink. 

 

Peter and Char laughed and I was pretty impressed by the means he went through to wash himself clean of being associated with criminals and such. 

 

“How did you learn all this?” I asked. 

 

He grinned and waggled his eyebrows. “You’re not the only one who has spy kicks. Besides, after all these years playin’ the role of a human with the Cullens, I had to be creative in comin’ up with ways to own property and stuff. I just took it that next step further,” he added with a shrug.

 

Jasper looked out the window and then at the instrument panel. “We have 20 minutes until landin’. Then, we need to tarp the plane and run the 2 kilometers. Peter, Char use the lotion stuff and then take over for me after you’re done.”

 

“Sure thing, Major,” Peter replied, grabbing the lotions as they headed to the back of the plane and pulled the canvas curtain across for some privacy. 

 

They were done a couple minutes later and it was our turn. Jasper pointed the coordinates out to Peter and we headed to the back. When we returned, Jasper once again took over the controls and landed the plane. It didn’t take us long to throw the tarp back on and head to the abandoned factory.

 

When we got there, we were greeted by Alec and his group. Jane and I ran up to each other and she caught me and spun me around. We both laughed as we sniffed the air, knowing we were wearing that lotion. She quickly whispered that she had left her phone in the hotel they’re staying but that she’d send me the picture of Eddie in a cage full of animals. 

 

As it turned out, Renata and Alec were assigned to guard the kings and therefore were going to be relegated to the sidelines rather than being on the battlefront. Alec mentioned that, if needed, he could project his numbing gift to the enemy but it would have to be a last resort. Jasper nodded and said that they were still more than welcome to join in on the training. 

 

“I’ll wait until everybody’s here before we make the introductions,” Jasper announced. 

 

Five minutes later, Serena’s group arrived and Jasper motioned for everybody to gather around. 

 

“Before we get started on training, I want to take some time for introductions. As you know, I’m Jasper Whitlock and I’ve been freelancin’ for y’all for a few years now,” he began and then went into a brief history of his military skills as well as his empathic ability. “Now, I want y’all to introduce yourselves and if you’ve got an ability, please share it with us.” 

 

The Volturi guards consisted of Jane, Felix, Chelsea, her mate Afton, Gabriel and Marta. Jane explained under her breath that Pierre couldn’t make it to training because he had been left in charge of Edward. Of the guards, Jane, Chelsea and Afton were the only ones that were gifted. 

 

“My healing ability is much faster than normal,” Afton explained to the group.”In the early years of my training, I was completely dismembered and my parts were strewn all over the field. Within the hour, my body was reunited and I was done fusing in less than two.” 

 

Serena brought Jackie, Diego and Nikolas. None of them had gifts that appeared to be useful for fighting, though Nikolas had limited telekinesis; he was able to open any type of lock with his mind. 

 

After the introductions, Jasper shook hands with everybody. “All of us were newborns at one time or another,” he began as he once again became the commanding leader I imagined he was back in his soldier days. “Our target will have them and her MO in the past has always been to starve them to the brink of insanity before she would let them loose. We don’t know how many will be actually fightin’ because of their demeanor. I’d estimate that at least 10 percent of them will be destroyed before battle. Tonight’s exercise is sparrin’ without gifts and we will each take turns playin’ the role of the newborn. Pair off, but note that we’ll be changin’ partners through the night. The storm just began so let’s get started.” 

 

I began sparring with Jane since we were standing next to each other and I volunteered to play newborn first. I lunged towards her head and she spun around and jumped, landing on my back. Had I been an actual newborn in battle, I would have lost my head. 

 

Growls and roars filled the air as all of us got into our roles. The sound of our bodies as we collided with each other sounded like the storm had moved into the building itself. Those who were newborns used strength and speed while our opponents were able to use their finesse in dipping and dodging us. From the corner of my eye, I saw vampires spinning in midair to catch their ‘newborn’ opponent unawares. The growls got louder and there were cursing shouts as each of us died time and time again.

 

“Good, now switch!” Jasper yelled out. 

 

Jane ran straight on at me, her hands like claws as she growled. I could almost imagine the venom dripping from her mouth as she settled into her role quickly. She was used to it, having done similar exercises many times as a trainer for the guards. I waited until she was close enough before ducking and rolling quickly away from her and then giving her a leg sweep as I stayed low. I tackled her onto the ground and gnashed my teeth together near her neck as she had done to me a half dozen times just minutes before. She got up quickly and I ran to the far end of the building. She raced towards as I leaped into the air and did a spinning back kick onto her shoulder. Had it been a real battle, I would have aimed for her head. 

 

“Now switch with whoever is to your immediate right!” Jasper yelled and I turned to face Peter. 

 

He pointed to himself and mouthed out newborn and I prepared to spar with him. He ran straight at me, his eyes aimed right at my neck. He was a lot taller than me, maybe an inch taller than Jasper so I ducked at the last possible minute and then kicked him right on the knee as he fell over, allowing me to grab his head. I didn’t get as many kills against him as I did with Jane but I managed to get a couple in before it was time for us to switch. Peter was brutal fighting me off as I played a newborn. He had the skills and the experience and it showed. With each and every attack, I was tackled or spun away. I easily would have been beheaded and dismembered quickly, given his skill. The signal to switch couldn’t come soon enough. 

 

Through the night, we continued sparring as both newborn and as the seasoned opponent. When it came time for me to face Jasper, we had a hard time getting into our roles. Try as we might, we just couldn’t settle into our exercise as we had with our other partners and instead, our movements were slow and non-combative, almost dance like. 

 

“Alright, gather around and let’s debrief,” Jasper announced. 

 

We all sat down and Jasper made sure that there were no injuries before beginning. All of us were given an opportunity to talk about the exercise. The general consensus was that it was frustrating to play the role of the newborn but that it helped each and every one of us prepare for what was ahead of us. Peter and Char shared with the crowd that they had a difficult time sparring against each other as a mated couple so Jasper and I shared our similar experience while Chelsea and Afton nodded, saying they went though the same thing. 

 

The exercise reminded all of us that newborns were predictable in that they relied mainly on their strength and speed, even if they were gifted. They were also erratic and easily driven to a frenzy by the scent of blood.

 

“I’ll let your group reps know the details as to where and when via email. Tomorrow, we’ll get to use our gifts. It might be wise to carry a stock of blood from here on out. While we might be going at it easier than a true fight, I know injuries can still occur. Until then, it was nice meetin’ you and I look forward to tomorrow.” 

 

The majority of the Volturi stayed along with Serena’s team and thanked Jasper first hand for their lesson. I sat on the ground and watched as he shook their hands with many of them. I heard some of them tell him it was an honor to be trained by him. 

 

Char and Peter sat down next to me as we waited. 

 

“Cookie, you did good out there,” Peter replied.

 

“Shut up, Peter. You kicked my ass,” I said with a frown.

 

“Cookie,” Char said, giving me a hug, “You need to remember, he’s had decades of experience workin’ and controllin’ newborns and he learned from the best, Jasper.” 

 

I shook my head. “I know, but it was still frustrating as hell,” I admitted as I turned to look at Peter. “Polaroid, I did like that move you did where you spun around midair and your knee landed on my back.” 

 

Peter grinned. “Major taught me that one early on. You can also grab both their arms at the same time and wrench them back. If you drive them down with your knee hard enough, you could rip their arms off or at the very least, dislocate them. Better yet, just drive them down hard, grab their neck and twist their fuckin’ head off.” 

 

I nodded and grinned at the image. I would definitely be adding that move into my repertoire if I had to use hand to hand combat skills. I turned to look at Jasper. He saw me stare at him from the corner of his eye and sent me his love and a wink. 

 

The last of the guards left and Jasper looked at us with a smile. “One more minute. Babe, come on, we need to talk to Serena and Alec.” He looked at Peter and Char. “We’ll leave in ten if you want to get the lotion on.” 

 

Peter and Char nodded and went to get ready as we walked over to Alec and Serena. 

 

“Will we have a sphere report soon?” Jasper asked. 

 

“Yes, we managed to spike everything- hard liquor, kegs, pretty much everything but beer bottles,” Serena informed us. 

 

“Will we be able to get a live feed if we want to?” Jasper asked. 

 

“That shouldn’t be a problem,” Alec said. “Hang on.” He turned and looked at Renata who was at the far end of the building. “Renata? Can you grab that bag and bring it over, please?” 

 

She grabbed a black bag that was on the floor and blurred up to us with a smile. “That was really impressive out there.” 

 

Jasper smiled. “Thank you, and thank you to you and Alec for providin’ us with some of that vampscreen as we’re callin’ it.” 

 

She grinned as Alec fished around the bag and pulled out a CD. “Here, this is the program you’ll need to be able to watch multiple channels of spheres. If you want to do your own search, let me know and I’ll help you narrow your search and show you how to coordinate it all.” 

 

Jasper took it and put it in the side pocket of his fatigue pants. “Great, thank you. I just want the availability of real time data in order to best plan the battle.” He dropped his voice lower to a near whisper. “Tomorrow our lesson will be at 1630, so let’s have our call at 0900.” 

 

We all nodded and said our good evenings before heading over to put the lotion on. Peter and Char were waiting for us just inside the door and the four of us ran back to the plane and got it ready. We had to push it about 500 feet to a hidden fuel storage tank, where we fueled up for our trip back. 

 

As the plane ascended, I got out of my chair and sat on Jasper’s lap as we headed for home. 

 

 


	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SM owns but I’ve checked them out indefinitely like a library card… or a Netflix DVD. 
> 
> The italicized and indented lines in this chapter are from the “spheres” – I hope you’ll understand when you get there.

**Chapter 25**

**SONGS:**

**Awake – Godsmack**

**Hurricane – 30 Seconds to Mars**

**JPOV**

 

I pulled the nose of the prop plane up as we headed back from our first trainin’ session. Isabella was wrapped in my arms while I steered with one hand. Peter and Char were enjoying each other’s company in the back.

 

I kissed Isabella on the lips as I felt her love wash over me and I smiled. I watched as she reached into her shirt and pull her ring off the leather cord she was wearin’. I reached over and grabbed it so I could put it on her finger once again.

 

“Leave it at home if you want,” I whispered to her. “I know you don’t want it ruined.”

 

She looked up at me. “I don’t and thank you. I would be beside myself if it got damaged.”

 

I felt some curiosity comin’ off of her as I continued to look at her ringed hand. I nuzzled against her ear. “Are you okay?”

 

She put her arms around me and whispered back, “I was just wondering when we get married, will you wear a band? I don’t remember you wearing one back then but my memories aren’t that clear.” She placed her hands on my chest. “I mean the closest I ever got to you back then was when we had to go to Arizona and I don’t remember seeing one.”

 

I smiled against her hair. “No, I never did. I don’t know how much you remember, but she didn’t wear a ring either. She said it would have drawn too much attention.” I saw her frown and ran my fingers down her cheek. “I’d be damn proud to wear your ring, darlin’, just as I am fuckin’ proud to wear your mark on me.”

 

I meant every word of it too. I remember back then how Alice argued about wearin’ rings. She said it was because we were in high school and therefore it would raise questions. I thought the real reason was because the numerous bite marks on my hands bothered her. Now, given the possible theories about her and Maria, it made me wonder if that also played a part. No matter, that was my past and my present, future and everything was sittin’ on my lap.

 

The joy that emanated from her could have lit up a room. She was so fuckin’ happy that I projected some of her emotions out to Peter and Char.

 

“Sorry guys, she was just too happy I couldn’t help but share,” I said sheepishly and we all laughed.

 

I thought back to the events earlier this evening. Even before I introduced myself, awe and respect emanated from the guards as well as Serena’s field team. They all knew my history and were all eager to go to battle. I was flattered and humbled by it.

 

All in all, it had been a good exercise. I wanted everybody to have the experience of fightin’ a newborn, regardless of size or skill. At one point, Char battled with Felix, Isabella fought with Peter, and I fought with Jane. Unlike the battles I had led back in the day, these were all trained guards. I wanted all of them to remember what it was like to battle newborns-, I wanted them to get into that mindset which was why I had them play both roles.

 

I was proud of everybody. I was especially proud to watch Isabella spar. I knew that playin’ the role of a newborn would be frustrating and I wasn’t proven wrong. I managed to catch glimpses of her during training and she was fierce. While not the strongest in combat, I was relieved to see she could hold her own, even without usin’ her gift.  When she went up against my brother she tried over and over to defeat him, but he was wily since he had decades of experience with newborns and I had taught him almost everything I knew.

 

I left the session feelin’ like everybody learned a little more from each other.

 

I knew facin’ our mates would be a challenge, just as it was for us early on when we were testing our gifts. Try as we might, we couldn’t fight to the full potential our skills had indicated with other partners. I didn’t want to show favoritism, which is why I wanted everybody to spar with each other.

 

“Y’all did really good out there,” I said, over the loud, droning engines.

 

“Yeah, it was good to fight with skilled folks,” Peter replied. “So much different than just trainin’ the newborns like back in the day.”

 

I nodded. “We’ve got a really good team here. I wanted everybody on equal footing which is why I didn’t want to use gifts yet.”

 

“It made me incredibly proud of you afterwards, cowboy, when they gathered around you and thanked you like that,” Isabella whispered against the skin on my neck.

 

I looked out the window and made some adjustments on the flaps. The wind was pickin’ up slightly as the storm got heavier. I reached around her back and undid her hair from her braid.

 

“I didn’t expect the attention afterwards,” I admitted and breathed in her scent. “It seemed strange at first to have them be so positive. I didn’t get that type of reinforcement or feedback.” I shook my head. “It takes gettin’ used to.”

 

“Major, I know you don’t want to get big headed from it, but you’ve earned the accolades. Why do you think the Kings want you to lead the charge? It ain’t because of your pretty face,” Peter snarked.

 

Although his words sounded harsh and insincere, I knew that this was Peter’s way telling me I was punishing myself for my past.  I felt the pride he had for me and quickly sent him my sincere gratitude. I appreciated his concern, even when he had a funny way of showin' it.  He was my brother and knew first hand the things I had been through in my past and that it was still sometimes hard to accept praise for my accomplishments.

 

I flipped some switches and looked out the cockpit window. It was a pretty bad storm and it took some effort to keep the plane from bouncing too much in the air. “We’ll be landin’ this fuckin’ flyin’ tilt-a-whirl soon, in fifteen to be exact.”

 

Isabella made to move out of my lap.

 

“You’re fine, darlin’, I’ve got her under control,” I said and continued to steer the plane.

 

Five minutes later, Peter and Char came back from puttin’ on the lotion and motioned to us that it was our turn. When we got done, Isabella insisted that she sit in the back with Char while Peter and I landed the plane. After we were on the ground, we quickly got her tarp up and headed back to the house.

 

Peter and Char decided to leave us to our ‘spy shit’ and headed back to the apartment when we got back.

 

“We’re going to enjoy the storm from the balcony. Let us know when to meet back up,” Peter said as he shut Char’s door and walked around the car.

 

We waved at them as they backed out onto the mountain path before we headed back upstairs to the house. After a quick shower and dry clothes, I grabbed the CD that Alec had given me and together, Isabella and I headed into the War Room.

 

I stopped before punching in the code. “Hey it’s almost morning, you sure?”

 

Isabella nodded. “I am. It is only temporary.” She turned towards the mantle and I gathered it was to look at her father’s flag and badge as I felt some sadness and determination comin’ off her.

 

“Anytime you need that, just let me know,” I said as I brought my lips to hers for a quick kiss before opening the door.

 

“I will and thank you, cowboy,” she replied as we sat down in front of the computers.

 

I quickly installed the program on one of the computers while Isabella fired up the other one.

 

Isabella giggled as she pulled one of her emails up. I looked over and started to laugh hard. It had to have been from Jane. It was a series photos of Edward wearin’ a muscle shirt with a cartoon of a bikini clad woman on the front and shiny black pants with lots of zippers. He was sittin’ in the cage lookin’ absolutely miserable with squirrels, chipmunks and deer in the cage.

 

“Tourist pile?” I asked and Isabella nodded.

 

“Yes and he’s frolicking with woodland creatures,” she choked out, tryin’ hard not to laugh.

 

We looked at more pictures and laughed even harder.

 

“I guess he has to learn the hard way not to be such a demanding brat about things,” she said while she sent the picture to her phone. “I’m going to send this to Peter and Char later. I think they’ll get a kick out of it.” She leaned over to look at my computer. “Do we have anything?”

 

“Hang on, I need to plug in the coordinates into the program for it to work,” I replied.

 

The computer screen went black for a second before a 12-by-12 grid appeared before our eyes. Each square contained video footage.

 

“Wow, I’m glad we’re not in charge of this. Could you imagine a larger set of video to work with? Is this the live and raw footage?” She asked as we watched the various grids.

 

I nodded. “Yep, to hear the audio, I just need to hover the cursor over a square.”

 

We sat together as I moved the mouse over a video image of what looked like a car that was smashed into a tree.  
  


_“Tree came out of nowhere. Why won’t the car start back up?”_

“Oh, look at that image,” she said, pointing to the next square.

 

It was a human facing a couple men and when I flipped the images to color, we saw that they were both vampires.

 

_“H-how did I get here?”_

_“Shh, you’re safe. Come on, there is a room through here you can use.”_

The vampire pointed to the door behind him and the man was escorted through the doors towards the sounds of growling and banging against a metal door. 

 

“If I have to guess, I think we might be seein’ a newborn soon,” I whispered to Isabella.

 

Sure enough the newborn vampire leaped into view, snarlin’ like crazy, while venom dripped from his mouth. It didn’t really surprise me when I recognized who that newborn was.

 

“Miguel!” Isabella exclaimed in a whisper as we continued to watch the human scream in pain as he was torn apart before the camera faded to black. “Well, he made the change,” Isabella said. “So we know of one newborn so far. Whoa, look!” she pointed back to the first image. The man who had crashed his car appeared to be moving too fast for a drunk human.

 

I moved my mouse back to the first square.

 

_“Where are you taking him?”_

_“Giving him to the mistress.”_

_“You better not let her hear you say that. She hates being called that. Señora Brandon is what she likes to be called, or the Widow; not mistress.”_

_“How about crazy bitch?”_

We watched as the man was apparently dropped and snarls filled the air. The angle of the body wasn’t able to pick up the image of the apparent struggle but we heard the metallic sounds of a body being torn apart and then a head rolled into view.

 

_“Insolent newborn. Why we needed them created, I still don’t understand.”_

 

The nameless vampire threw the newborn body over his shoulder, grabbed the head and then dragged the unconscious man a distance before stopping. We watched as the vampire grabbed the newborn vampire and tossed it into what looked like a boiler before picking up the man.

 

_“Come on, Señora Brandon isn’t having humans this week. I’ll bring you to Jorge, he’ll be more merciful.”_

Isabella and I looked at each other and she grabbed my hand as we continued to watch the video. The vampire knocked on a door and a man appeared.

 

_“I thought it was the newborn’s job to get the food?”_

_“There was a problem with his attitude so I’m here, Jorge.”_

 

The vampire pushed the unconscious man into Jorge’s room and quickly left. We continued to watch as the man lay on the floor and Jorge sat down on a chair in front of a fireplace. He shook his head as he looked into the flames.

 

_“La Viuda would have enjoyed you, my human friend. But she’s on her animal diet at the moment. No worries though, you’ll do just fine.”_

 

Jorge got up from his chair and slowly walked over to the man.

 

_“My friend, it seems you’re in luck tonight as I am now suddenly thirsty. While you’re not conscious right now, I will make sure if you happen to wake up that you’ll forget everything.”_

He grabbed the man and we watched as he brought his lips towards the human. Within minutes, the video went black.

 

Isabella and I turned to look at each other, not sayin’ a word at first, and then she shook her head as I whistled low.

 

“Wow, that was... wow,” Isabella muttered.

 

“Yeah, I think what you’re lookin’ for is interesting, fucked up and strange at the same time,” I said, pulling her closer against me.

 

“So the spheres worked. We know Miguel is a newborn but his eyes were so black and he was out of control,” she said and wrinkled her brow in disgust.

 

“That’s Maria for you. She liked to starve the newborns to make them more malleable. Hey, hang on, let’s get the group into a conference call. Any suggestion for a text message?”

 

Isabella looked at me and tapped her chin before smiling. “How about this,” she said and I passed the phone to her. I watched as she texted out a message and I felt her humor comin’ off of her. “Here.” She passed the phone back to me. ‘ _I like Laughing Cow cheese with crackers._ ’

 

“Laughing Cow?” I looked at her in confusion and watched as she pulled up a website.

 

“It was one of my favorite snacks when I was human,” she said and snorted. “I always liked the picture on the package.”

 

I laughed as I set up the computer for the conference call and hooked up the video monitor up.

 Alec and Serena appeared on the screen a few minutes later, both of them still laughing.

 

“Morning folks. That had to be Isabella’s message,” Alec said with a chuckle. “We used to see those cardboard containers at her desk all the time.”

 

“I had to ask Jackie what they were since she’s the youngest vampire in our group,” Serena said with a grin.

 

“Well you wanted obscure and cryptic,” Isabella snarked. I could feel that she enjoyed the fact that she stumped us with her text.

 

“Alright, the reason why I wanted to move the meeting up was because of the video footage we had just seen. Were either y’all watchin’?” I asked.

 

“Yeah, I was with Jackie,” Serena said.

 

“Pierre volunteered to take on some surveillance work when we all got back,” Alec said. “I happened to walk in when the newborn grabbed the man.”

 

I nodded. “The newborn is Miguel and if her MO is the same as it was back then, that must have been his first feed since wakin’ up. She’s been known to go upwards of a week before givin’ a brand new vampire blood.” I paused to let that information sink in and heard low growls from the video and I felt the horror comin’ off of Isabella. I patted her thigh in reassurance and sent her my love. “So we know of at least one newborn right now since they destroyed the other one.”

 

“The vampire just destroyed him for back talking?” Serena asked incredulously.

 

“That’s not usually the first consequence. There had to have been some other incidents to warrant that. She was cruel, as were her soldiers, but not unreasonably so,” I said quietly, glad I didn’t have to elaborate more on those black days.

 

Isabella put her hand on my thigh and I felt her comfort and love pour into me. It hit me right then that even though my days of war were fucked up and horrific, I survived it and overcame a lot of shit. That long and difficult journey led me to my mate and my soon-to-be wife. To be able to feel that love, so strong from one person, that acceptance of my past and that genuine trust, well, I’d gladly go through hell all over again. She _was_ worth it.

 

“Now mind you, I’m only talkin’ about what I have experienced. Given what we heard from Jorge and the other vampire, she might be unstable,” I said. “But that might also mean she’s even more dangerous.”

 

“Oh, I caught that and I have the video footage to show my team,” Alec said. “She’s is switching back and forth on her diet?” His brows wrinkled and you could almost see the gears movin’ inside his brain.

 

“Is that even, um, healthy?” Isabella asked aloud. She was astonished someone would want to do such a thing and frankly, I was too. I would even venture a guess that our colleagues on the video screen were echoin’ the same fuckin’ thoughts too.

 

“I don’t know, I sure as fuck couldn’t switch back and forth like that willingly,” I said and Alec and Serena nodded in agreement.

 

Isabella looked at me. “Did you also notice her name?” she asked and then looked back towards the screen.

 

I nodded. “Brandon, that was Alice’s last name,” I explained to Alec and Serena. “I think the theory that there was a bond between her and Maria became a little more concrete with that bit of news. It would also explain the desire to feed on animal blood. Unconventional to say the least but it makes sense.”

 

Alec held his hand up. “I’ll talk to Marcus more about this but I think you’re right. It would be something a mated pair might desire to do together. Let’s hope her intervals between switches are short so we can catch a glimpse of her.”

 

“That unnamed vampire said something about a week. Let’s hope that is an actual seven days,” I said and then something clicked in my head. “Serena, do you have a copy of the photo of her taken from the unmanned spy plane? Can you put it on the screen please?” I asked.

 

“Sure, Whitlock,” Serena responded and started to type on her computer. “Give me a minute... there.”

 

Once again, the photo of Maria filled popped up and I switched the images so our video conference screen was the smaller of the two images.

 

“Alright, is there a way you can zoom closer to her eyes?” I requested. “Remember how we mentioned that her eyes were different? I want to check something that just occurred to me.”

 

“Hang on and I’ll magnify the image. Is that better?” Serena asked.

 

The image of Maria’s face was more enlarged now. “Can you zoom in one more time?” I asked.

 

“Yep,” Serena said and once again the image zoomed and enlarged on the screen.

 

The four of us stared at the image. It was crystal clear and the reason we all felt her eyes looked strange was finally revealed.

 

“Oh shit! They are a reddish amber, orangy color but they look almost flat!” Isabella said, her eyes wide in shock.

 

“ _Merda_! That is crazy,” Alec exclaimed. “No wonder her eyes looked even more off. I would not have guessed.”

 

“Whoa, that is...” Serena shook her head at a loss of words. “Wow.”

 

“Yeah, it didn’t occur to me until the video we saw from the spheres.  I have had that color in my eyes before when I was transitionin’ from a human diet or an animal one. Never, though, have I had that flat look of death though.” I looked at Isabella and patted her hand, which was still on my thigh. “Isabella, share with Alec and Serena the theory you came up with on the plane.”

 

“Sure,” Isabella looked up at the screen. “ So, what I was thinking was that they, Alice and Maria, were mates but never claimed each other. What Peter had explained to me,” she quickly looked over at me before lookin’ back to the screen, “to us, when we were learning about the whole being mated thing was that the need to claim each other would only get stronger with time. This was especially true if our souls recognized the other as being our other half. We were both warned that while we decided to get to know each other, the ideal situation was that we shouldn’t wait too long because it could be detrimental. So given that piece, and then the fact that Alice was destroyed in a tragic fire, she had the double whammy of being an unclaimed and broken mate. Also, she’s calling herself Senora Brandon and a widow isn’t far off the mark to describe a surviving mate.”

 

“Yes, yes, that is a good theory. Again, I’ll run it by Marcus, especially in light of what we learned this morning,” Alec said. “Now then, not to change the subject, but what about this Jorge that we saw?”

 

Of course, she never refused meals or fun back then but now we have the added element of her feedin’ off animals. Serena, can we spike some of the waterin’ holes with the spheres just in case?”

  


“I have a team going out there as we speak,” she replied.

 

“Great, thank you,” I said. “So Jorge is apparently gifted.”

 

There were nods as Isabella asked, “The no-name vampire said Jorge was merciful?”

 

I nodded. “As I said earlier, she was cruel and carnage was a regular occurrence with her. From what we saw of Jorge, it seems as though he’d prefer his meals not be pumped full of fear or pain. And there was mention of him bein’ able to make someone forget, which might be an interestin’ gift.”

 

“Serge?” Isabella asked.

 

“Possible,” I replied back to Isabella. “Alec, can we meet up with Aro and Marcus soon? Given the new developments, we’re wonderin’ if there was a possibility that Serge was planted into the Volturi by Maria.”

 

“I’ll definitely ask the Kings about Serge,” Alec said. “I can say this much, he wasn’t well liked by any of the guards, that arrogant bastard.” He shook his head. “He tried to put the moves on my sister the first couple years he came to us. She, of course, set him straight but still, he thought he was a gift to the vampire world.” He looked away deep in thought. “I wasn’t entirely privy to why he was allowed to be a guard, much less part of the Elite but... _figlio di puttana!_  I am not entirely sure because Renata and I were spending time out in the countryside, but I want to say he had no memory when he came to Volterra. Hang on, I’m going to conference Jane in if she’s available.”

 

His image went blank for a couple minutes before reappearin’ again.

 

“I’ve got Jane on the phone now. Jane, Isabella, Jasper and Serena are also here.”

 

“Hey everybody, so Alec said you wanted to know about Serge?” Jane asked over the speaker phone.

 

“Jane, we do, in light of what we learned about Maria’s possible second in command. We think he has the ability to wipe someone’s memory away,” I replied.

 

“No shit?!” Jane exclaimed. “I remember the day he showed up. I had just said hi to the secretary who was there before Gianna and was heading to the elevator when Demetri and Claude half carried this ragged vampire in. He looked like he was semi conscious; it was the strangest thing. Of course, we couldn’t just let him stay at Volterra without making sure he wasn’t an enemy first. I radioed Felix and Chelsea to give them a heads up as we were just going to have our daily briefing with the Kings. When we got up there, Aro touched his arm and said there was no memory. Marcus said there weren’t bonds either, so they immediately had Chelsea bind him to the Volturi and sent him to one of the monitored chambers. Until he was conscious, I still wasn’t going to take the risk. While it isn’t a guest room, it certainly wasn’t a prison cell. It was just a simple room that we could observe.”

 

“Jane, how long ago was that?” Isabella asked.

 

“I want to say it was the early 90s when he came here. Yes, October 12, 1991,” she replied.

 

Isabella looked at me and shrugged. I gathered from her emotions that she wanted to talk about some things before we talked to the group.

 

“Thank you, Jane. You and Alec have both been a big help with this. Mind you, this is just a theory at this point. I don’t know if that piece will ever get solved but it would be interestin’ to see if there was a connection before all this,” I explained. “Now satellite reports indicate another huge storm arrivin’ this afternoon. We’ll plan for trainin’ then. I’ll wait until we get closer before I send y’all the coordinates.”

 

“Sounds great, Whitlock,” Serena said. “See you later.”

 

“Whitlock, thank you, we’ll see you this afternoon,” Alec said and waved.

 

I hung up the call and shut down the machines before pullin’ Isabella onto my lap. “What’s botherin’ you, darlin’?”

She looked at me before wrappin’ her arms around me and nuzzlin’ my neck. She was upset so I just sent her my calm  and my love as I ran my hands down her back, holding her close as I walked us out of the War Room and into the courtyard. I continued to hold her against me as I laid us down on the lounger.

 

“I think I’m starting to over-analyze things,” she said and took a deep breath. “I think I am trying to explain all the wrong that has occurred with you and the Volturi as being caused by Maria or Alice.”

 

My fingers caressed along her jaw. “I think it is normal to try to find some reason for the fucked up things that happened; humans do that so it isn’t any different for us to as well. What’s on your mind?” I asked.

 

“Well, the first is probably the most outrageous. You’ve heard the stories about Marcus and his mate, Didyme? What if Maria had a hand at that?”

 

I shook my head. “That is highly unlikely. I remember from Carlisle’s stories that she was destroyed durin’ the high Renaissance and Maria is only a century older than me so she wasn’t around back then.” I brushed my lips against hers. I didn’t want her to feel like I was going to dismiss every idea she had and I was truly interested in her theories.

 

She smiled softly. “I guess that wouldn’t work. Unless she knew a vampire with time travel ability,” she said with a laugh. “I’d find him and rescue your ass from her clutches, cowboy.” She sighed. “Alright, second idea is Jorge had something to do with Alice and her lack of memories.”

 

I thought for a moment before answering. “If I had known him before I left the camp, I would definitely have said it was a possibility. Her soldiers back then weren’t gifted with active gifts like you or me. It was either passive gifts like Peter’s or like Afton’s gift, which didn’t really help the cause during a battle. She liked to groom her next in command by creatin’ them so I don’t think he would have been involved. The timin’ just wouldn’t fit with Alice’s change either. I think her treatments in that asylum were the reason for her loss of memory. It wasn’t unusual for clinics and hospitals to use electrocution and harsh drugs in order to cure ailments, not to mention the abuses they got away with back then.”

 

I felt her disgust over the idea before she ran her hand along my arm. “Okay, another idea that wouldn’t work. It is like that TV show where the guys try to dispel urban legends and stuff like that only so far, I’m busted,” she said wryly. “See what I mean though, that I’m over-analyzing?”

 

I nodded and looked at her. “Babe, if you didn’t talk about it, we wouldn’t know for sure if it is plausible or not. Your theory about them bein’ mated but unclaimed seems really plausible, doesn’t it?”

 

“I suppose. Alright you said that Maria didn’t always hunt for herself. What if she wanted to emulate the Volturi and was power hungry enough to think she could destroy them?”

 

She looked at me and I nodded in encouragement. “She was very ambitious and looked at the Volturi as not only a goal but an end game of sorts.”

 

“Then how are you well respected by the Volturi? I mean if she saw the Volturi as the ultimate prize then you would have been seen as an enemy?

 

I tapped my head. “Empath remember? She said that she revered the Volturi and we all should but I felt her underlyin’ emotions; she was determined and ambitious. Most of all, she was extremely envious of them. It took me a few decades to finally figure out why on my own.  She had an ulterior motive but she kept it very close to her. I don’t think even she understood that I knew; I don’t think she fully knew how strong my gift because she never saw the nuances of it.”

 

“Hmm, so there is a possibility. That is good, but here’s the kicker. What if she became even more ambitious because she had someones’ gift to rely on- someone who was able to see into the future?”

 

“If what Eddie said was correct, then they had known each other for a long fuckin’ time,” I said and got up from the lounger. “Alright, so she is more determined than ever to go up against the Volturi,” I began as I started to pace. “She and Alice have these rendezvous over the years and each time more visions are revealed. They see a means of gettin’ a mole inside the Volturi with Serge. Meanwhile, Alice plays up the Cullens and tries to control me by getting me to attack you. Little did they both know that I’d destroy that family and find my way to the Volturi,” I paused slightly to look at Isabella and she was nodding enthusiastically. “So Serge was my partner by coincidence.”

 

“Yes, yes and think about it,” she said excitedly as she got up to grab my hands and walk us back to the lounger. “Alice sees a vision that involves a shy human girl that becomes the object of fascination to Eddie and by using my clumsy ass, she lures you into draining me or try to drain me. It would destroy you first of all, especially since we had that connection, and then she also protects the Cullens’ dirty secret at the same time because I wouldn’t turn into a vampire and report them to the Volturi.”

 

I smiled. “That is outrageous but it works.  Using me to get rid of you would have gotten me out of her hair as well as the Cullens’. She would have had the freedom to be with Maria.” I looked down at our entwined hands. “You had theorized that perhaps Alice knew of a future with Maria. I still cannot say for certain but I can see that Maria knew I was with Alice, I am sure. The punishments were different but the goal was the same, control.” I brought her hands up to my lips. “But see? Since Maria didn’t know the extent of my gift, it backfired and you’re still here.”

 

“I am still here and we are together cowboy,” she said. “I am glad you prevailed and I am so fucking glad that you burned her to pixie ash. I love you Jasper, so fucking much.”

 

I smiled at her words and felt her strong love, trust and pride wrap around me. “I am more than glad, Isabella. I not only got the chance to get to know you better but you’ve become so fuckin’ important in my life. You’re my other half, no fuckin’ doubt about it.” I cupped her face between my hands and kissed her hard. “I fuckin’ love you, future Mrs. Whitlock.”

 

Her breath hitched and I was nearly knocked on my ass from her happiness at the words. I knew first thing was first and that was the upcomin’ battle. Then we could start our lives. I looked up at the sky. “Alright, let’s go get ready. I’ll need to send the coordinates soon.”

 

 

**_  
_**

 

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Google Translator I was able to get some words in Italian. Hopefully I didn’t butcher it.  
> Merda = shit  
> Figlio di puttana = son of a whore
> 
> Picture the movie “The Dark Knight” and the scene where Lucius Fox sees the video images on that giant screen. That is basically what the spheres do except humans are the catalyst, not cell phones.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to heavyinfinity for making this pretty to post. Pre-reader JaspersWoman for making sure it makes sense and easy to understand. Props to JaspersBella and SparklingFae to perusing this early, early on when it was still pretty rough. Lastly, DarkNNerdy for providing me with songs and support. The first song was one she sent me and it seems to fit this chapter.
> 
> I am not SM nor will I ever be – if I was, I'd never have had Eddiekins with Bella or Alice with Jasper
> 
> Sorry if the formatting doesn't work on the "spheres" I hope you'll be able to follow.

 

**Chapter 26**

 

**Songs:**

**Psychotic Girl – The Black Keys**

**Don't Wanna Miss a Thing – Aerosmith**

 

**Warnings – Some violence and lemon. If you don't like that sort of thing, you might want to skip.**

 

**BPOV**

 

Over the next couple weeks, we continued training and monitoring Phoenix via the spheres. Every day, Jasper waited until the last possible minute of our travel time window to reveal our training spot of the day. He liked to make sure we all had equal travel time, never favoring one area over another. We flew out a few times on the Babushka, as Peter liked to call the old Soviet smuggler plane, to get to our destination. Other times, we either took one car or we ran.

 

Every single one of us continued to take precautions in getting there, even though our spheres indicated that Phoenix was not quite aware of our presence or our activities. Within the first week, we had learned that Phoenix members were aware that other vampires were present so we made sure we were careful. They were convinced that the other vampires were nomads just passing through and we liked that they thought that way. We all made the decision not to travel only in pairs to avoid a situation where we could be discovered and interrogated about who we were and why we were there. Given what we had speculated about Jorge, we didn’t want to risk discovery and the loss of our memories either. 

 

It might have been paranoia or overkill but we all felt it was necessary until we got closer to the battle date. It was inconvenient at times but nobody complained about trying to remain as covert as possible because we were certain it was to our advantage.

 

In light of the tighter security, Alec and Renata decided it was safer not to have the leaders and the queens present during our training sessions. Since they weren’t able to watch us train, it wasn’t a surprise to see Renata filming us on occasion as we sparred with each other. The Kings still planned to be there for the actual battle but to travel to the various training sites was far too much of a risk to take. The queens would be close by but we knew they wouldn’t have a desire to actually witness a battle. 

 

Alec relayed messages from the kings. We received word that Marcus had never seen a real unclaimed mate who had lost their other half. He also said that since the eyes were known as the windows to our souls, it wasn’t a surprise that Maria’s eyes had a look of death in them. Caius added that after his brother lost his first mate, Marcus’ eyes permanently became a shade or two darker but they never got that look flat look to them. Jasper and I speculated that the bond he had with his brothers probably helped prevent that side effect as well. 

 

The Kings confirmed what Jane had said about Serge. He had arrived in Volterra without memories and was immediately bonded to the Volturi so that he wouldn’t be a threat. Aro said that they had speculated that Serge was a young vampire, given his demeanor. It wasn’t unusual for a newborn to experience memory loss, especially if their change had been violent. They also confirmed that Serge’s attitude was, at times, outrageous and smug and they were glad he was reassigned away from the castle, which was why they had pushed for him to join the Elite force. 

 

Serena continued to make sure the booze was spiked with the spheres and her team made trips out to the watering holes to make sure animals ingested them as well. The video and audio coverage was fascinating to see and we were learning so much about the Phoenix cartel that we often had more than just Alec and Serena joining our calls. Peter and Char became regulars after the first couple days and it wasn’t unusual to see various Volturi guards watching the footage via our video conferences. A couple times we even broke from training so we could all watch the live, raw footage of Phoenix or as Peter called it, 'Phoenix TV'. The first time that happened, Maria showed up on the grid. 

 

Maria was having her meals brought to her by a female vampire who wasn’t a newborn but was clearly enamored of the Hell Bitch. Maria grumbled to the vampire about how she preferred jaguars and ocelots but she was hungry and grabbed whatever animal was given to her. She caressed the animal before letting the vampire know that she’d need another meal in the morning and bit down, causing the camera to flicker before the visual died as she drained the animal. 

 

We were also able to do discover that she had a routine when it came to her animal diet. She had to feed often- every day, preferably either late at night or early in the morning, sometimes twice if the animal was small. After one late night training session, Peter and Char joined us at the War Room to watch Maria feed. Jasper pointed out to us the necklace that peeked from her dress. It was a simple design and it had various small jewels dangling from it. He explained that it was a Christmas gift he had given to Alice early on and it was the only thing he ever gave her that she wore on a regular basis, up to her fiery demise. Jasper speculated that Maria must have taken to wearing it as a constant reminder of her long lost mate. 

 

Despite her constant feedings however, her eyes still looked lifeless and flat and we figured Marcus’ theory was spot on. Maria didn’t say much during the feeding other than complaining about the diet and mumbling numbers, which we speculated were a countdown to when she was going to switch back to a human diet. Based on the numbers, it was hopefully today. Jasper mentioned to us all that it was rare to see to see her so quiet. He explained that back in the day she had been very smug at mealtimes. It wasn’t rare to see her with her toying with her meals, often lulling them into a seductive trance because of her exotic features. Other times, she was known to be vicious with her meals, but she was always quite vocal regardless. We were looking forward to seeing her with a human meal this week because so far we hadn’t obtained much information from her. 

 

The newborns were another story. What had started out as 18 newborns had dwindled down and there were currently 14. It did not look like anymore were being made. Miguel was amongst the newborns that were still alive. Well, if you could call it that. They were savage and feral, brought nearly to the brink of starvation by Maria and her group before they were given a human to feed on. As the spheres were brought into the chambers, we’d all watch silently as the humans were torn apart, screaming in pain and horror. The young vampires were so ravenous and out of control that they spilled more blood onto the stained stone floor than they drank. 

 

They weren’t just crazed newborns either. A couple of them were still very young looking; even without the baby fat in their bodies, you could tell they were practically children and it bothered us all. Even Jane and Alec who were changed as teenagers were disgusted by it; they both had been changed at a young age but during their time, they had been considered adults. 

 

We were dreading the idea of destroying them since they were young but we knew we had to since it went against our laws. Jasper also felt that because they appeared to be so rabid, they probably wouldn’t make the best servants or guards for the Volturi. It was, as he called it, raising a bunch of lambs to send to the slaughter. 

 

Earlier that week, we had discovered that at least one of the newborns was gifted. From what we could see, it actually took her by surprise as she grabbed her meal and a ball of fire sparked off her fingertips, causing her to drop the body. It gave us a chance to study her for a bit and we realized that she had no control over it as she ran around the cell screaming “fuego” in a pained raspy voice before her hunger took control of her and she attacked the human that was slumped on the floor.

 

As we learned about our targets, we adjusted our training accordingly. For the past few nights, Jasper had us working on outnumbered attacks. Sometimes it was 1 versus 13, others it was a small group against the rest. We were allowed to do anything as long as we followed a couple simple rules. Those with gifts could defend, but only using half strength. However, if we were attacking, we had to dial it down to one quarter to prevent serious injuries or dismemberment. 

 

Tempers flared amongst mated pairs as they watched their other halves get attacked. I wasn’t immune to it and had to be dragged away by Peter and Char after watching Jasper fall onto the ground in pain from Jane’s power. I was really close to throwing my shield out as I watched a dozen vampires run after Jasper but then he rendered them all frozen in fear as he unleashed some horrific combination of emotions. 

 

Even though Jasper was used to fighting in battle, he also had a hard time watching as I was being attacked. He practically frothed at the mouth and came close to dismembering Felix when he tried to restrain him. We were all starting to understand our limitations and we learned to quickly work together and coordinate our efforts with very little verbal communication, which was fun to do. 

 

“Good job, guys,” Jasper said as we gathered around for the night’s debriefing and passed out bags of blood among us all. We might not have been physically injured each and every training session, but we all felt having a bag of blood helped us all afterwards. The emotional and mental toll was just as strenuous as the physical combat. 

 

He patted Felix on the shoulder and thanked him quietly for what happened earlier. “I know it was difficult to get attacked like that but I needed us to be prepared in case there are either more newborns created or our gifts were rendered useless. I have had y’all practice bein’ outnumbered because I’ve seen your one-on-one combat and you are all fine fighters.” He sipped from the bag and made a face. “Ugh, I guess it is better than animal blood,” he grumbled and we all laughed as we also drank our bags of blood.

 

“Sorry for the bad taste. The queens have taken much of the stash of fresher blood since they abhor the idea of going out to hunt for druggies and such,” Alec explained. “It tastes bad but it still does the trick.” 

 

“Hey, we’ve got video,” Renata called from the far end of the airplane hangar. We knew this week was a human diet week for Maria and we still hadn’t seen Jorge, so the Volturi guards created a makeshift monitoring station in each of our practice facilities in hopes of gaining more information on Phoenix. Jasper had told Renata to break into our sparring sessions if anything interesting showed up. 

 

Within a few minutes, the airplane hangar was transformed into a mini theater and we watched as the female vampire dragged a couple humans into a chamber. She knocked and the door opened as we watched the video of the spheres being pushed inside. 

 

“ _Señora Brandon? I have your meals.”_

“ _Well, what have we here? Blondes, my favorite flavor. Gracias, Megan my sweet.”_

 

We watched intently as Maria purred to her victims, who were whimpering and begging in some sort of Scandinavian language. She grabbed the female and dragged her nail down her exposed arm, not breaking skin but still leaving a mark. The woman screamed in horror as she looked at Maria. 

 

“ _Ah, you my dear, remind me of someone I once knew and was thoroughly betrayed because of her. You and your man will pay tonight for her sins. You both will pay for her and her mate and the one they rescued.”_

 

Jasper stiffened as he watched the scene unfold. I knew she meant Char and him. I reached over to her and rubbed her back as she held Peter’s hand tight. I laced my fingers with Jasper’s and sent him all my love and he wrapped his arm around my shoulder and pulled me closer. 

 

“ _Hmm, you’re not the same shade of blonde or the right height but it doesn’t matter. I’ll drain you while he watches.”_

 

She dragged her hands down the frightened woman in what looked like a caress but her shredded shirt indicated otherwise. Maria removed the woman’s shirt and raked her nails down her back, and blood trickled out of the wounds. Maria licked the woman’s breast before she bit down, causing her to cry out. She must have pumped venom into her because the blonde started howling in pain when she unlatched a few seconds later. 

 

_“Yes, my sweet, sing for me.”_

 

She sneered as she grabbed the blonde hair and wrapped it around her hand and pulled back, exposing the woman’s neck, and tore off some flesh from the woman’s shoulders before latching on and feeding. The sounds of the man’s painful sobs echoed in the stone chamber as he watched the life leave his woman’s eyes. The head was wrenched off, the body tossed aside and Maria slinked towards the man. 

 

“ _Oh, your blond curls remind me of a soldier I knew once. He was my most prized weapon.”_

 

I bit back a growl, knowing that she meant Jasper, and felt his calm and comfort surrounding me. 

 

She pulled the man up off the ground. He was still sobbing over what just occurred but she ignored his cries. Instead, she started to strip him of his clothing and then lecherously looked him up and down.

 

_“You’re not quite as gifted as he was but you’ll do.”_

 

I supposed she was trying to be alluring but with her crazy eyes, it just didn’t seem like it was working as the man continued to scream in I was now guessing was Swedish. From the sound of his voice, he was begging and pleading. She continued to run her hands all along his body, cooing at him and whispering against his skin. 

 

“ _He took something of mine, two of them to be exact, but I got my revenge later. Who would have thought that decades after he left me that I would run into his wife. Better yet, who would have thought that she and I had something special. We would have been together if she hadn’t died so tragically. If you’re still alive Major, I hope you are a lonely man. Once I get power, I’ll hunt you down and make you pay. I will make you suffer and in the end, you’ll once again do my bidding when I am through with you._

 

She laughed maniacally as she continued her efforts to arouse her victim and tried to goad him into some sort of sick game of seduction. It probably would have been effective at one point in her life but now, it was a macabre sight to behold.

 

“ _I should have claimed her when I had the chance. Alice, oh Alice I’ll make sure your vision comes true.”_

 

Her hands were now shaped like claws and she dug into the man’s flesh. Blood fell, coating some of our camera footage red. Screams escaped from the man, howling screams of pain and sorrow. She pressed her lips into his shoulder before she snapped his neck and bit down before the camera went black. 

 

“Wow,” Peter exclaimed, shaking his head.

 

“Christ on a pogo stick,” Jane muttered. “That was Maria? We used to call her the Scourge of the South. She’s _that_ Maria?” 

 

Jasper got up once again.

 

“Yeah that was fuckin’ crazy wasn’t it?” he asked rhetorically, raking his hands through his hair. 

 

We all nodded and watched as he went to grab some more blood bags and handed one to Jackie and one to Diego. “You need the extra since you both dislocated some limbs today.” 

 

They nodded and grabbed the bags.

 

“So it seems Maria is still ambitious as she was before,” he began and started to pace as he recounted the story about how she hid her true feelings about the Volturi. “This scheme of hers to gain power was something that she was described to her by her now deceased mate, accordin’ to her crazy ramblings. Alice must have given her enough details on this vision to make her feel like she’s got a fightin’ chance.”

 

“What she really has is a damn suicide mission, I mean anybody should be able to see that,” Alec commented. 

 

“Yes, but she’s lost her fuckin’ marbles,” Peter exclaimed. “Not that she had many to begin with.” 

 

Jasper brought his hands up to calm down the crowd. “Yeah, I know it is crazy that she thinks she can go up against the Volturi. Her operation is also a lot sloppier than I’ve ever dealt with but I was a military man before my change. We haven’t found out if she’s discovered we’re here and not Italy yet. Since she’s got rabid newborns, she’s gonna have to move quick. Her newborn army isn’t gonna last and we’ve seen she’s lost 4 in just the past week. No, my guess is she’ll have to move forward with the plan soon.” 

 

“But if she assumes we’re in Italy, how is she going to transport them? Does she have pilots that can fly?” Jackie asked. 

 

“Flyin’ won’t take long to master as a vampire and we know she’s got at least 3 vampires under her that are beyond the newborn stage,” Jasper said, taking a sip from his bag. “Serena, the two abandoned airfields near her territory, can you set up surveillance on them?” 

 

“We had some in place when we were doing recon on El Tigre, I can get them running in no time,” she responded. “It is just a matter of getting the cameras back online.” 

 

“Excellent. What we are probably going to look for is a cargo plane. It has to be big and roomy enough to accommodate rabid newborns. There is no fuckin’ way they’re going to sit for hours on a passenger airplane so the next best thing would be a cargo plane, the bigger the better. Given their current state, there is no way she’d use a more public airfield.” 

 

“More surveillance!” Renata called out and once again we sat down to watch the incoming feed.

 

It was Jorge with the unknown vampire we saw the first week. They were walking and it looked like they were dragging humans along. The humans must have fainted or been knocked out somehow because they were silent. 

 

_“Jorge, how many humans do we need for this?”_

“ _Xavier, as many as we can. Señora Brandon explained we needed to make sure the newborns are able to make the trip and we can’t afford our plane to go down so we need to give them blood before we leave here.”_

“ _Doesn’t she know it is a suicide mission?”_

“ _Shh! Do you think I don’t know that? Ay, dios mio! I hate to admit it but I think she isn’t cognizant of many things right now.”_

“ _Well, I don’t want to burn for this cause. Jorge, what do we do?”_

 

At this point, both men had stopped and were whispering furiously. We could tell from the video that they were just in the outskirts of town. 

 

_“To survive my friend, we just have to play along. Just don’t let Megan hear you.”_

“ _Her lap dog? Believe me Jorge, I stay away from her. She’s too enamored by her to see straight.”_

“ _Xavier, that is good, I don’t think she can be trusted.”_

 

They reached a van and tossed the four bodies into it before locking it up. A few minutes later Renata was able to find a few more spheres being dragged off by Jorge and Xavier. They were still muttering and continued with their conversation.

 

_“If we fly off with them, how can we be guaranteed that we’ll survive, Jorge?”_

_“Xavier, have you forgotten my gift? If worse comes to worse, if we get captured, I can make you forget everything and you might be granted mercy for being an innocent bystander.”_

_“Jorge? What about you? Will you serve her until the end?”_

 

The two vampires stopped walking and started to talk even more quietly. Their voices were still picked up by the spheres. 

 

“ _I am her next in command, I have to. I will just hope that if we get caught, they will have mercy on me.”_

“ _So you’re going to still lead the newborns?”_

“ _I’ll do what is asked until it is time.”_

“ _Aren’t you afraid that they won’t have mercy and we will burn for her?”_

“ _Xavier, my friend, I was a monk back in my village before I was turned by her. I’ve done some horrible things and if there is a God like I believed before, he’ll show me my fate. I’ve accepted things long ago.”_

“ _Jorge, you... you just can’t give up like that. You’ve been a brother to me all this time.”_

“ _I am not giving up, just accepting that whatever happens, will happen. They have every right to destroy me because of what I did to Serge. I will atone for my sins.”_

“ _And if we prevail? Will you follow her to her next crazy scheme of finding that elusive Major?”_

“ _No Xavier, but she doesn’t know that he’s still alive either. My journey will end at Volterra, either way.”_

 

Jorge reached over and pulled Xavier into a hug before they continued on towards the car.

 

“ _So Jorge, when is the Antonov 124 supposed to arrive? And will we be able to keep these humans alive until just before the trip?”_

“ _It will rendezvous with us in 48 hours. I’ve told you this, why are you worried, my friend? Mi hermano?”_

“ _I’ve just never been on an airplane before.”_

“ _Don’t worry, Serge taught me lessons back before he lost his memories. You’re in good hands.”_

 

“I think we have seen enough,” Jasper said and the video footage stopped. He got up and looked around the room. “Alright. You heard them; they are preparin’ to fly out in 48 hours. It means we have between 24 and 48 hours to attack them. Alec and Renata, please notify the Kings. Serena, keep watch for an Antonov 124, they are not hard to miss, those fuckers are huge. Chances are, it’ll be unmarked, smuggler style.” He paused to look at us all. “Let’s break and plan to meet back, ready for battle in 36 hours. I want the element of surprise on our side. As soon as we know more, I’ll send the GPS coordinates for the meeting place.”

 

We all got up silently and shook hands and hugged as we all doused ourselves with the lotions and sprays. Peter and Char walked with us out to Jasper’s truck. We were pretty quiet as we headed back to the edge of the jungle so Peter and Char could grab their car and do their thing. The way they were clinging onto each other, I could tell that they needed time to process and prepare for battle. Hell, I know I did as I curled up beside Jasper. When he stopped the truck to let them out, we all looked at each other as I turned and gave them each a hug.

 

“Come on, let’s go on a bike ride,” Jasper said quietly as we drove back up the mountain. 

 

We got back to the house and quickly changed. Jasper grabbed my ring off the nightstand and slipped it on my finger while I zipped up my motorcycle jacket. We walked hand in hand back down to the garage. We didn’t say a word as I grabbed my helmet off my bike and straddled his. I needed to be close to him, to wrap my arms around him as we took off on his bike and hugged the winding road. He ran his hand through my hair and kissed me on the lips before getting on the bike. We both put our helmets on. Once I was situated, I wrapped my arms around him and laid the side of my head against his back. 

 

Jasper drove us around the city and we watched as the late night crowd laughed and celebrated in the nearby bars and restaurants on the waterfront. He then headed out towards the jungle and our favorite winding road before we came up to a quiet and secluded ledge that had a view of the city and the airport runway. He got off the bike and reached for my hands to help me off as we removed our helmets and walked towards the ledge to see the view of the city. 

 

He pulled me onto his lap and he wrapped his arms around me and held me close. No words were needed as he received my love and sent me back his own. I turned and looked into his eyes and saw love shining through but I could see he was also nervous and I knew my eyes reflected the same back to him. I leaned my head against his and sighed. 

 

“I know,” he said in a quiet whisper. “I’m nervous too. On paper it’s such a fuckin’ easy battle but I know it won’t be. Maria, as fuckin’ crazy as she is, she’s not gonna go down easily.” 

 

I reached up and brushed my fingers through his hair. “No, she won’t but we’re all ready and willing to fight. Isn’t that what you’ve felt?” 

 

“The determination this evenin’ was astounding. After the footage, everybody was psyched but I wanted everybody to have their own moments together before somethin’ like this.” 

 

“I know.” I threaded my fingers with his and we watched the scenery for a bit. 

 

The moon was almost completely veiled by the rain clouds as we continued to sit. I ran my fingertips up and down his thighs, enjoying the feel of his muscles twitching and responding to my touch. As I stared out into horizon and the flashing patterns an aircraft about to land, I thought back to the night Jasper and I found each other once again. What I had thought was just a moment of wild, reckless lust and abandon turned out to be more than that. I had found my other half, my mate and for the first time felt absolutely complete. He brushed my hair over to the side before wrapping both arms around me and pulling me tight against him. Had I not had such a strong bond, I would probably have been less reflective and a lot less emotional. I probably would have been drinking it up as I figured most of the guards will do tonight. Instead, I needed to be here with Jasper and just get as close to him as possible. 

 

“Isabella,” he whispered against the back of my neck sending shivers down my spine. “Darlin’ we’ll both be fine. Everybody will be fine.” 

 

I turned around so my legs were wrapped around his torso. “I love you Jasper. I fucking love you so much. I... I never thought I’d find this... you... when I took on this assignment.” I ran my hands under his jacket and shirt, feeling his broad back and lightly scratched my nails down along his spine, earning a hiss from him.

 

“That feels good,” he murmured as he brushed his lips against mine. 

 

Our desire and need to be close together coiled around us like thick ropes. It pulled us tighter as we continued to touch each other, igniting our passion and desire. My eyes darkened with lust as I saw the passion burning in his. My tongue licked against his lips and with a moan, we deepened our kiss. Our hands grabbed and caressed before he pulled my jacket off of me and used his body to push me down to the ground. I ran my leg up the back of his and rolled my hips against his as I felt his mouth sucking on my neck. 

 

“Jasper,” I whispered breathlessly as his hands worked their way under my shirt and his thumbs brushed against my hardening nipples. “Bike.” 

 

“Oh, my naughty, naughty minx,” he growled as he nipped my earlobe. He pulled me back up and smirked as I took his jacket off and started to unbutton his shirt. 

  
I licked his shoulder and collarbone as I tore his undershirt off of him. My shirt was thrown onto the ground and before we reached the bike, my bra was shredded off of me, the lacy pieces of fabric floating down to the ground. I slowly unwrapped my legs around from him and slid down his body so that we could remove our jeans. 

 

I slowly undid them and, never taking my eyes off of Jasper, I shimmied them down, leaving only my motorcycle boots on and he growled at the sight. 

 

“Fuck, Isabella,” he said, panting heavily. “You’re so fuckin’ hot.” 

 

I watched as he unbuttoned his jeans and slid them off his hips. He left his boots on as well. I bit by bottom lip and whimpered when I saw that he was already hard. I was wet and practically buzzing with need as we continued to stare at each other. He reached over pulled me against him. 

 

“Lay down on the bike.”

 

Oh fuck, if I wasn’t wet already, that did the trick. I straddled the bike, facing the tailpipe and laid back, arching myself over the gas tank. I reached over my head and grabbed a hold of the handlebars as he stood in front of me and ran his hands from my shoulders down to my thighs. My eyes rolled to the back of my head as he ran a finger along my wet slit and hissed.

 

“You’re always wet for me, aren’t you?”

 

“Oh fuck, yes!” I whispered breathlessly thrust my hips into the air. I nearly broke the handles when I felt his tongue on me. 

 

“Oh fuck!” 

 

He nibbled and licked my folds, his growls vibrating on me. He sucked on my clit and I was left a writhing, whimpering mess before he pulled me up and got on the bike, facing me. Our lips collided and I moaned into his mouth as I tasted myself on his tongue. He pulled me closer, his cock against my stomach as I rocked my hips against him, trying to gain some friction.

 

Jasper reached under my thighs and brought them over his before running his hands back up and pinching my nipples. I braced myself with his shoulders and sat up over him. Through my heavy eyelids, I stared into his onyx eyes just as I slammed myself down onto him, crying out in pleasure. 

 

“Isabella, fuck, woman, you’re wet and so tight!” His hands grabbed my hips and his fingers dug into my flesh as he moved me in a near frantic pace, causing the motorbike shocks to bounce along with our rhythm. My head was thrown back as I raked my nails down his chest and along his thighs. 

 

Our growls filled the air and mixed with the scent of our desire. The bike rocked along with our rhythm as I continued to move on top of him. I know we were both trying to be careful not to destroy the bike, which we easily could have. The combination of our desire and the need to be wild while having to maintain control caused my lust to spiral around us. Jasper looked deep into my eyes as he took in my emotions and a deep rumble began in his chest. 

 

He pulled me closer to him, our foreheads touching as I felt I was getting close. My venom pooled as I sucked and licked his neck. My thighs started to quiver and my walls tightened. A growl built in my chest as I pulled him even closer. His hand brushed against my hair and I had a feeling his teeth were going to meet my flesh tonight as well. Our bodies continued to move at a furious pace. I licked his neck once more as I felt his mouth on my own and my teeth sank into his flesh. Our hips were still moving as I held on tight against him. I finally had to let go of his neck as I cried out into the night sky, an explosion of color hitting the back of my eyes as I came hard. He roared my name as I fell back onto his bike and he collapsed on top of me as we caught our breaths. 

 

I sealed his mark with a swipe of my tongue and after I felt him do the same to me. I reached up and cupped his face. “I love you Jasper Whitlock.” I kissed him tenderly, bathing him in my love. 

 

“I love you Isabella-soon-to-be-Whitlock,” he whispered as he kissed along my jaw. “Come on, let’s go get some late night snacks on the way home.”

 

“Mmm, sounds good, cowboy. I could use something other than bagged blood.”

 

We got up off the bike and slowly got dressed with whatever clothing we had remaining. We held onto each other as we walked over and grabbed our jackets before heading back to the bike. 

 

“Oh shit, Jasper, I’m sorry,” I muttered as I saw the dented gas tank on his Ducati. 

 

He chuckled, “Darlin’ that was fuckin’ worth it. I will always remember tonight every time I look at it. Hell, if I ever get rid of her, I’m keepin’ the tank with me.” 

 

We rode back into town just before some of the seedier cantinas closed. We parked the bike and walked hand in hand to the nearest bar where we easily found a couple men who were trying to lure some girls outside. We had seen them before; they dabbled in drugs and prostitution and from the looks of it tonight, they were about to get violent with the college age girls who were refusing their advances. I was able to lure them away from their prey and led them outside after I shrugged off my jacket and revealed my thin camisole, which left little to the imagination. 

 

Once we were in the alley behind the bar, Jasper quickly followed us and we fed off of them. Jasper got done with his meal and went towards the back to dispose of the body in the dumpster. I was still feeding on the man I had pressed up against the wall. To an unsuspecting human, I guess it looked like a heavy make out session and a mugger thought just that as he stuck a knife to my back as I was finishing up. 

 

I smirked as I turned around and wiped a spot of blood on my mouth. The body I had just drained was slumped over on the ground and the mugger realized his grave mistake. Jasper emerged from the darkness and grabbed the man by the scruff of his neck and held him as I disposed of the body. The scent of the man’s fear made his blood smell so sweet. I smiled at Jasper and he returned it as he tilted the man’s neck and offered me the first bite. Together, we fed off the man as Jasper kept his cocktail of fear on him until we were done. We walked back to dump the body and light the dumpster on fire.

 

“Darlin’, let’s get home and get cleaned up. I want more time with my woman,” he said as we got back on the bike and handed me my helmet.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this was my tribute to one of my favorite movies, Armageddon. No animal crackers, just some smexy bike action there. :)


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

 

_**Songs:** _

_**Hells Bells – AC/DC** _

_**You’re Going Down – Sick Puppies** _

 

 

 

JPOV

 

When we got back from our meal, we sat together out in the courtyard, just enjoyin’ each other’s company until it was time to greet her dad. I wanted to give that to her before the battle. It wasn’t that I thought we’d be defeated, but things could happen and I wanted to give her that memory and some sense of normalcy before shit got too crazy. 

 

After the sunrise, we both decided to head into our cavern sanctuary. We were both feeling the need to be together and immerse ourselves in each other. The world outside us ceased to exist as we held onto each other tightly. We whispered our words of love and even added a few more scratches on the cavern floor by the time we were done. I had never gone into battle feelin’ this way before; the absolute need to be with someone and the fear of what could happen. Most importantly, it was the need to make sure she was going to be safe. Back in my early soldier days during the southern wars, I was cocky and didn’t give a fuckin’ thought about the others; they were mostly fodder to me, expendable. Then Peter came along and the brotherly bond we had changed things a little but it wasn’t until now that I understood, without a reason of a doubt, why he was willin’ to put his life on the line to save and protect Char. I was willin’ to do that for Isabella and knew she felt the same way. 

 

After nearly 18 hours in the grotto and a bottle of Bella Blood later, we both finally emerged from our cocoon, ready to tackle what was ahead of us. After we came back from our world, we got ready and started to prep for what was to come. We spent the next few hours goin’ through reports during our video conference. When Alec informed the Kings of the battle plans, they quickly dispatched word to fly a secondary group of guards, including Heidi and a few others, out to assist. That plane left Italy more than four hours ago which would give them plenty of time to arrive before the battle. Their primary goal was to be an added line of defense for the Volturi royals. 

 

Isabella was excited that Heidi was comin’ and I watched as she zipped out of the War Room and returned a few minutes later carryin’ the empty bottle of Bella Blood into the kitchen. I wasn’t sure why the news of Heidi joining us prompted her to clean a little so I figured it was just pre-battle nerves since this was her very first real battle. 

 

Serena’s group continued to monitor Phoenix and there had been no changes to the scheduled arrival time of the Russian cargo plane. She did let us know that given the size of the plane, the airstrip that was the further of the two nearest to Phoenix territory was more likely to land the plane successfully. That particular airstrip also had a larger fuel storage tank, which we had a feelin’ they’d need if they were crossin’ the ocean with a plane full of rabid newborns. If that was the case, then our site for the battlefield was the airstrip closest to Phoenix. It was along the way and if the newborns were as wild as they appeared, this would be an easy straight shot for them.

 

I perused topography maps and satellite photos of the area and checked the forecasts for the weather report. Everything indicated that we needed to be at the battle site no later than the 40th hour, which was just over 10 hours away. We let Alec and Serena know to give their groups the new directive and had them plan accordingly. The preparations were comin’ together and it still didn’t look as though Phoenix was aware of our presence. 

 

Peter and Char came over to hang out with us as we as we got things ready for later. With the impendin’ battle, I started to reflect on things like family. I finally felt like I was in a family as I watched Peter, Char and Isabella interacting together. 

 

To say I wasn’t excited at the opportunity to finally destroy my maker would have been a downright lie. I was itchin’ to get my hands on her and tear her fuckin’ body apart. I couldn’t burn her head though; I promised the kings that I’d at least leave her head intact. I still wouldn’t mind seein’ her limbs burnin’ into ash and that purple plume of smoke comin’ off her pile of parts.

 

The sounds of the two racin’ motors broke me out of my thoughts and I looked up to see who’d show up first this time. The two black Shelby’s raced through the jungle at breakneck speed. I looked over at Char who was holdin’ onto a vine across the clearing as though it was a finish-line ribbon. 

 

“Woo! In your face, Polaroid! I beat you that time,” Isabella shouted as she jumped out of her car. 

 

“Aww, come on, Cookie. How ‘bout best of...” 

 

“No way!” Isabella cut in. “No more fucking best of. You lost fair and square so pay up!” Isabella growled out and held her hand open. 

 

Char came over and sat down with me and chuckled as we watched our mates. I shook my head and laughed as they continued to bicker with each other over the race. 

 

“Fine Cookie, I demand a new race after this,” Peter grumbled and pulled out a couple hundred dollar bills out to Isabella.

 

“Ha! I’ll still beat your ass,” she taunted and turned to head headed towards us, stuffin’ the bills into her pocket. 

 

“Cookie,” Peter said quietly and motioned her to come over. 

 

Char and I looked up as my brother whispered somethin’ into Isabella’s ear and she nodded and grinned. Whatever he told her must have been good because she was beyond happy and reached up to pull Peter into an embrace.

 

“What was that?” Char asked.

 

“Not sure but whatever he told her made her really happy and she’s full of love at the moment,” I replied. 

 

The two made their way over to us. Peter grabbed Char and set her on his lap just as Isabella wrapped her arms around me and pulled me into a kiss.

 

“Did y’all have fun?” I asked them as I pulled my woman onto my lap and kissed her hair. 

 

Char and I laughed as we heard a “Yes” from Isabella at the same time Peter said “No.”

 

“Aww, Polaroid, don’t be that way,” Isabella chided as she played with the buttons on my shirt. “I beat you in the best of five. You managed to beat me a couple times but I won the tiebreaker.” 

 

“Hmmph,” Peter huffed and continued to mumble incoherently until Char pulled him into a kiss.

 

“We have over 6 hours before we leave. We’re takin’ the truck tonight,” I said as I pulled Isabella closer to me and breathed in her scent. 

 

During our conference call, we had decided that we couldn’t have too many aircraft around the area so some of us would need to drive in even if it was normally a plane ride for them. Too many airplanes in the area would raise questions and we still wanted this to be a surprise for Phoenix.

 

“So it will be what? A two hour drive, Major?” Peter asked.

 

“It takes nearly three because of the weather but we’ll leave four hours before because we need to make a stop,” I said as three sets of eyes looked at me.

 

“I need to get somethin’ when we are in the town near Phoenix territory,” I explained. 

 

“Get what? Do you need another meal?” Isabella asked with worry on her face.

 

“No, but I need to get somethin’ to lure a certain crazed vampire out into the battle,” I said. 

 

Isabella looked at me and raised her eyebrow. “And just how do you expect to do that?” she asked warily. 

 

I sighed. “I was doin’ some thinkin’ ever since the video footage and well, I wanted to make damn sure she had some sort of prize to go after,” I said. “I am gonna steal a bike and get her attention should lure the whole fuckin’ kit and kaboodle into our trap.”

 

“Jasper Whitlock!” Isabella growled and placed her hands on my shoulders. “Don’t you fucking dare!” She looked at me and my heart felt like it was about to break, there was so much love and worry in her eyes. “I can’t lose you,” she whispered brokenly, “I just can’t.”

 

“Shh,” I said quietly as I got up and carried her towards the car. “Let’s get back to the house and we’ll talk.” I looked over at Peter and Char. “Come over in a few hours and we’ll finalize the plan.” 

 

I fished the keys out of her pocket and put her into the car, pullin’ her close as I revved up the engine and took off back to our house. The ride was quiet, and the worry just radiated out of her. I held her close against me and sent her my comfort and love. By the time I got us home, much of her distress was replaced by a strong sense of determination but worry was still a close second. I walked us both up to the courtyard and set her on the lounger before runnin’ in to grab a blanket and make us a pitcher of the blood drink. 

 

I poured a glass to her and she gulped it down as I got settled next to her. 

 

“Darlin’, look at me.” I lifted her chin to look into her eyes. “Hey, I’ll be safe. I am not gonna do anythin’ irrational, I just want to get their attention and lure them to our hiding place,” I whispered to her and brushed my lips against hers.

 

“You mean to do this completely alone?” she asked as her eyes pierced into mine. 

 

“No, not completely. Y’all can monitor me. I just want to get their attention. They think there are a bunch of nomads roamin’ around, I’ll just be one of them and accidentally tread onto their land,” I explained. 

 

“And what if Jorge finds you? Then what?” she gritted out. 

 

“I’ll be fine, darlin’, just passin’ on through,” I teased as I tried to calm her down but she was gettin’ more determined and pissed off at the same time.

 

“No fucking way, Jasper. You’re not doing this alone,” she glared at me.

 

“Babe -”

 

“No! Don’t babe me. I’m going with you.”

 

“Isabella, no you can’t!”

 

“I can’t?” She looked at me and raised her eyebrow. “Well, I can’t just stand there with the possibility of you getting caught by someone like Jorge and end up forgetting things,” she said, pinning me against the lounger with her shield. “Or worse, the Hell Bitch finds you and captures you. No, we’re either doing this together or you’re not doing this at all. I’m riding with you and I’m shielding you. End of fucking story.”

 

We stared at each other for a few minutes and her resolve never wavered. I didn’t want her to go with me but she had a point and this was what she was trained for. I sighed and nodded.

 

“Alright, you have a point,” I said and immediately felt her shield evaporate. I reached up and pulled her against me, holdin’ her close and breathing in her scent. “I wasn’t tryin’ to piss you off, I just wanted to keep you safe as my mate but you’re right, you’re a guard and most importantly you’re a shield.” I looked at her and watched as some anger left her eyes. “We’ll do this together but we’re not attackin’ them, we’re just lurin’ them out.” 

 

Isabella continued to look at me and I could feel she was relieved. “Thank you, I just would have been beside myself knowing that you’d be near the enemy and the danger involved,” she whispered and reached for my hand. “I’ll make sure we are both safe, but how can you be sure she’ll fall for it?”

 

“I can’t guarantee it, but I want to give her some incentive to order that they leave early from their camp, for lack of a better word. You know, maybe make a detour to find me. Given her recruits these days, I bet she’s itchin’ to get her hands on me.”

 

“She touches you and I get dibs on a body part to rip and burn,” she growled before settlin’ down against me. “So why would you want to steal a bike then?”

 

I smiled as I ran my fingers through her hair. “Well, there is a chance it would get destroyed or we'd have to ditch it. I don’t want to give up my own bike given our recent memory on it and I am sure you wouldn’t want to give Raven up either. So I’m gonna steal a bike that also has some human scent to go with it.”

 

“Good point, since we’re supposedly nomads, I guess it would make sense that we have a meal and then steal their bike?”

 

“Oh definitely,” I replied and brought my lips to hers. 

 

We decided to spend a few hours outside just enjoying each other’s company and sippin’ on the drinks. Peter and Char came back mid afternoon and I notified them of the plan. Apparently, Peter had a snapshot of it and they brought over some clothes from a local thrift store so we’d look more the part. 

 

“Pack your combat clothes and y’all can change after. Besides, these clothes will smell human so it adds to the nomad vibe,” Char explained to Isabella. 

 

“Thanks guys, I have never done the nomad thing before so this is all new to me,” she explained and I felt amusement comin’ off of her as she looked at her clothes.

 

I looked over and it was some Harley t-shirt that had been ripped down the chest and shredded across the back. 

 

“Jasper, does this mean I’m gonna be your ole lady now?” Isabella deadpanned, holding it for a few seconds before doublin’ over and laughing. 

 

We all laughed as we set up another video-conference with Alec and Serena to tell them our plans. I wanted them to be ready to ambush the newborns. “Make sure everybody carries extra vampscreen with them,” I said. “We’re headin’ out so text us if y’all need anything.” 

 

“Alright, when you get to town, one of us will meet up with you, me most likely, and put a camera on you so we can track your movements. We tried to see if heated bags of blood would be able to sustain the spheres but unfortunately it doesn’t so we’ll have to bug you somehow,” Alec said.

 

“Sounds good,” I responded. “Minimal contact though for this phase. Okay, we will see y’all shortly. Once we’re done, we’ll rendezvous back and get ready.”

 

We packed up some clothes for after our drive-by and the four of us headed to towards Phoenix territory. 

 

“Guys, I think that Jorge guy might be an interesting person to interrogate,” Isabella said. 

 

“Yeah, I agree with Cookie. I get the feelin’ he’s not completely tellin’ his boss-lady everythin’ and I guess in a way, I don’t blame the poor fucker,” Peter said as he drove the truck. Char nodded in agreement as she set the GPS.

 

Isabella and I sat in the back in our biker clothes; worn boots, torn jeans, Harley t-shirts, and studded belts. Yes, it was a little dated, even I knew that, but we were supposed to be nomads and it looked it as we kept our hair a little messy. She even rubbed some dirt on our faces to add to the effect. 

 

“I thought so too,” I answered. “Back then though, when she was more on her game, you couldn’t pull shit off like that. Like I said though, she might have gone crazy but that only means she’s more dangerous.” 

 

When we got to the entertainment district, Peter let us out of the truck and said he’ll see us later, he would be watchin’ us from the Volturi communications center to make sure we’re safe. We headed past the busy strip bars toward the nearest cantina. Alec emerged from a darkened alley when we got near and motioned us towards him just as he was finishin’ up on a meal. 

 

“Child pornographer,” Alec explained as he pointed to the body. “He’s down here in hopes to escape the authorities so he wouldn’t be extradited back to Europe but now, he doesn’t need to worry about it. See the Harley Fatboy parked out there with the fringed saddlebags?” Alec nodded towards the street. “That’s his and his keys are in his pocket. Figured you’d want to get them yourselves so you get some of his scent on you. I left some blood so rub that on your clothes too. Oh, I’ve bugged the bike. Just put this on and we’ll be able to monitor you and Isabella as well, should you lose your ride.” He handed us a small microphone that we attached on our shirts along with a tiny earbud for instruction, if there was any. 

 

I fished the keys from the man’s pocket and ran my hand along his bleedin’ neck wound before I wiped the blood on my clothes. Isabella watched me and did the same, even running some of it along her skin. We moved away after we were done and thanked Alec. 

 

“You’re both welcome. We’ll keep an eye out for possible trouble. Good luck and we’ll see you later.” 

 

With that, he ran off towards a dumpster with the body as Isabella and I walked out of the alley and headed towards the midnight blue bike. 

 

We got settled on the bike and it started up with a guttural roar. We rode around the town just to make sure our scent was noticeable before we headed towards the Phoenix campsite. The ride was different than the motorbikes we were both used to. We sat more upright and it felt less fast even though we weren’t goin’ slow. 

 

“Leave it on hover for now, babe,” I said quietly to Isabella as I felt her acknowledge my request. We were near. I knew from the maps that I needed to turn soon into a small dirt trail and slowed down. “Alright, we’re close, put your arm around me and I’ll touch your hand as a signal to throw your shield down.” 

 

“Okay, I love you, Jasper,” she said and wrapped her arm around me as I made the turn. 

 

“Love you too, Isabella,” I whispered back. 

 

We were both on alert as I rode down the trail. I started to feel a trickle of awareness comin’ off from the land runnin’ parallel to our right. “They sense us,” I whispered to both Isabella and to the microphones so everybody knew what was goin’ on.

 

I drove down another mile before someone shouted “Major” causin’ Isabella to stiffen slightly. I sent her reassurance as I knew there was another turn nearby that would get us on the road towards the airfield we designated as the battleground. I squeezed her hand just as I made that left turn and immediately, felt mere trickles of emotions comin’ from behind as she threw down her inner shield and I pushed the bike faster. 

 

When we were inside the 5 mile radius, I knew our team was nearby and I squeezed her hand once again and felt the trickles of their emotions from behind the trees as she hovered her shield once more. I slowed down just a little and took a deep breath. The only scents were Isabella, the remnants of the man’s blood and the faint scent of vampires from a few days ago. I couldn’t smell my team at all and was once again glad for that vampscreen stuff we’ve been usin’. I knew we were spotted and it wouldn’t be long before they would come after us. 

 

“Whitlock, slow down, we’ve got your back,” Serena said through our earbuds. “There’s a ditch 50 meters to your right, take that and dump the bike. Ditch is 100 meters in. Your gear is nearby.” 

 

“Ten-four,” I acknowledged and turned into the jungle. “Ready to jump, darlin’?” 

 

“Yeah, let’s do this,” Isabella responded and let go of me as we neared the ravine.

 

We both jumped as the bike went flyin’ off into the rocky ravine and landed with a crunch of metal and a small explosion. 

 

Char emerged in front of us slowly which I appreciated since she was scentless at the moment. “Peter and I left your bags down that path,” she explained and pointed. “There is a stream so you can wash up and stuff. I’ll see you two in a few.” She turned and took off back towards the airstrip. 

 

We got changed and washed off the dirt in the nearby stream. We also slathered on the vampscreen and got ready for battle. Both of us slipped extra bottles into our fatigue pants as we ran towards the abandoned airfield in case they were needed. 

 

Everybody met us as we arrived and I watched as Isabella quickly pulled Heidi aside and into a hug. The two whispered some things while she handed Heidi something she had in her pocket before rejoining the group.

 

“The Kings are watching from a distance right now,” Alec reported. “Once the battle starts, they will be watching from the sidelines as we guard them. In the meantime, it appears that your presence got things in gear which I think you had hoped for. The humans they captured the other night were almost all given to the newborns and needless to say, they were ravenous. Maria also had one and she was practically frothing when that female vampire, Megan, gave her the news of your presence and that you were with a female nomad. She tortured her meal, once again pumping venom in before drinking. She was muttering about how she couldn’t wait to get her hands the Major once and for all.” 

 

Alec looked at Isabella and continued. “After she was done, she ran out and we managed to find her talking to Jorge. He must have been ready to have his meal but before he could, she came in. She wanted Jorge to use his gift on one or both of you so you’d forget each other. That sadistic bitch,” he muttered. 

 

Isabella spoke up. “How much time do we have? Can you tell?”

 

“She wants them gathered together once everybody has finished their meals and she has requested the Antonov to leave ASAP for their rendezvous point. She didn’t specify the timeline but things have definitely moved up. Jorge is concerned about the training of the newborns. He doesn’t feel they’re ready but she wouldn’t hear of delaying it and left his chambers after once again demanding that he ready her soldiers. Jorge looked troubled but didn’t say much. He did use his gift on the human and soothed his meal before feeding. He said a prayer before he snapped his neck and drank.” 

 

At that point, Renata’s voice squawked from a radio. “A large cargo plane has left Cuba and looks to be on course for here. Given the speed, we calculate that it is empty right now.” 

 

“It will take a maybe four hours for it to get here from the island. Let’s get ready,” I ordered our group. “Slather on more lotion and wait. Jane, you’re in the first line with us but stay hidden for now. I want her to see us first. The rest of y’all, I want some of you to have blood bags with you. Open them as they approach. It will help the newborns lose their focus. When they lose their focus, they will be more difficult to control and we’ll have the upper hand. Good luck everybody.”

 

Isabella and I walked towards the center of the airfield, keepin’ semi-hidden amongst the jungle and waited. When we heard the first growls of rabid newborns in the distance, we stepped out into the open. I looked over to where Jane was and felt her concentration as she looked over towards the direction of the noises. 

 

We could smell the faint scent of blood and heard keening wails and more growls from within the jungle. Soon, the metallic sounds of limbs bein’ torn apart filled the sky as the two of us crouched low. I felt Isabella’s shield cover me and I had no doubt her outer shield was ready to be unleashed. A minute later, a tall female vampire came runnin’ towards us followed by two other vampires, newborns. I felt Isabella’s reassurance and determination as she waited for the 3 vampires to come runnin’ towards us in different directions. As soon as they got close, she threw out her shield hard and they all crashed onto the ground, twenty feet from where they were before. We separated and Jane emerged from nearby as we each took on the three vampires. 

 

I smirked as I felt the fear comin’ off the vampire in front of me and shot more fear at him as his eyes widened and he started to scream out. I heard Jane laughin’ to the left of me as she sent pain to the vampire in front of her. Isabella was busy behind me, tryin’ to grapple her opponent. Around me, the sound of vampires being torn apart was everywhere. Bodies collidin’ loud as thunder echoed around us. The battle was now underway. The air was buzzin’ with excitement comin’ from our team and strong fear and confusion comin’ from our enemies. 

 

I had no doubt our groups’ skills so I stalked the newborn in front of me and when I got close, I jerked his arm with so much force that his shoulder was dislocated and nearly torn off. He wailed out in pain and I saw that he was young. It really was a shame to have to destroy him but he was so feral and rabid that he still tried to fight me under the weight of the fear I was sendin’ him, venom pourin’ out of his mouth. I unleashed some of my anger as I grabbed his other arm and ripped it off his body. He tried to move but he couldn’t and I quickly tore him apart and left his body scattered all over the ground. 

 

Jane had dismembered her opponent and was savin’ the head for last. She was still smilin’ as she wrenched off the head with a vicious twist and then tossed it nonchalantly behind her. I looked over at the various scattered body parts before turning around to see how Isabella was doing. 

 

She was about 20 yards away from me and she had the upper hand against the female she was battling. She had ripped a leg off her opponent and had just jumped onto her back. Usin’ the move Peter had told her about, she dug her knee hard onto the female’s back, nearly bendin’ her backwards as she pulled the arms back and I heard the pop as the shoulders were torn out of their sockets. Isabella got up and circled her opponent who was practically droolin’ with venom. The female radiated fear and pain as she got up, her arms hung helplessly against her. Isabella smiled and continued to circle her and the female started to back away. She must have pushed her shield out this time as the female fell flat on her back and Isabella jumped towards her and grabbed an arm while she was still in the air. The screeching sound of the arm bein’ torn off filled the air and caused a laugh to escape from Isabella when she landed. I would have continued to watch my mate viciously rip apart her opponent but a familiar scent filled the air. 

 

“Hello, mi solado.”

 

I turned around slowly as I heard Maria’s voice from behind me. I sent her some confidence as my eyes met hers. 

 

“Maria,” I said with a curt nod. 

 

I felt Isabella’s concern as she saw who I was talkin’ to and I quickly sent reassurance back as I tried to lull my creator into a false sense of security. I wanted to make sure she thought she had the advantage as I read all her emotions. 

 

Although I had seen video surveillance of her, it still astounded me to see how she had changed. Her eyes were still an eerie shade of orange but, as in the photos and video, they were flat in color; there was no light in them at all. Her face was also changed. The youthful features that she had once used to her advantage to lure and seduce had also left and she looked aged and tired. She looked almost like a ghost the way she was dressed. 

 

Her emotions were just as erratic as a newborn’s. She was excited to see me and yet there was deep hatred comin’ off her as well. She wanted to kill and I was her enemy. I could feel that she wasn’t ready for a quick kill; she wanted to do it slowly and painfully as possible. 

 

“I must say, I am pleasantly surprised you’ve gone back to the human diet. From what I was told, you were quite the animal drinker, Major,” she said in what would have been a seductive voice had she not been a pitiful caricature of her old self. 

 

I said nothing as I continued to stare at her, sendin’ that slow stream of confidence, just enough so she wouldn’t suspect that I was manipulatin’ her emotions. 

 

“Tell me, I heard that you were with a female? You know what I want to do? I want to use you like the old days while she watches. You remember those days, don’t you? Maybe I’ll use her while you watch. Either way, I’ll have my fun.”

 

If I could, I would have thrown up as lust shot out of her as well as another strong surge of hate. It was like old times, or so she thought, as she came closer and started to circle me. I still said nothin’ as I felt a small sense of triumph comin’ off her. She thought she had me at an advantage but she really didn’t realize I was just takin’ my time. All the bullshit and sick emotions she was sendin’ me just helped add more fuel to the fire as she got just another step closer. 

 

I quickly assessed my surroundings to make sure none of others was in need of help. A fire had been started and some of the guards were throwin’ body parts in. Eight heads were lined up in front of the pyre and they were forced to watch in horror as their bodies started to smoke and burn. Venom flowed out of their necks. Their screams were nothin’ more than gurgles; their mouths moved but only animalistic noises came out. I couldn’t wait to have a few of Maria’s parts burnin’ as well. 

 

“Why won’t you say anything, Major? Oh _mi solado_ , the things I will do to you... Tell me did you know your wife was my mate? You should have heard some of the things we used to talk about. You were definitely fodder for our conversations,” she continued as she took another step forward. 

 

I suddenly felt growin’ anger from behind me at the same time Maria’s hand grabbed my arm and jerked hard. Not hard enough to dislocate my shoulder but enough to bring me to my knees. Of course I also helped by puttin’ my weight into the pull because I was ready to unleash my deadly cocktail at her. At least, that was the plan until I felt Isabella’s anger as well as a strong sense of protectiveness. I sent her reassurance to let her know I was fine but her instincts must have taken over and she threw her shield out and launched Maria out towards the fire. 

 

I held up my hands to show her I was fine and sent her calm but I had pushed too far; Isabella was runnin’ on her instinct to protect me and destroy Maria. I stood up ready to take her in my arms as she began to clear the distance between us. I wanted to show her everything was under control, but it was too late when I saw a blur come diagonally from behind me and head towards Isabella, revenge pourin’ out strong. 

 

“Babe, stop, I’m...”

 

The words fell silent as I watched in horror as the female vampire, Megan, grabbed Isabella and all I could hear was the metallic sound of my mate, bein' ripped apart.

 

“Isabella!!!” 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE:  
> Mi solado = my soldier


	28. Chapter 28

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> When the previous chapter first posted, I got a lot of people calling me evil for having that cliffie. You're in luck. There is none for y'all. :)
> 
> Thank you heavyinfinity for being a super duper awesome beta. Thank you to JaspersBella for pre-reading this eons ago and then to JaspersWoman who was VERY VERY happy reading this chapter. As always, DarkNNerdy helped with my music selection (especially the first song) and all. I also have to thank all my little Lego men – you'll see why in this chapter. You ladies rock!!!
> 
> I am not SM nor will I ever be. I just like having my way with some of the characters.

 

**Chapter 28**

 

_**SONGS -** _

_**Rammstein – Feuer Frei** _

_**Three Days Grace – Time of Dying** _

 

_**Warning - violence** _

 

**BPOV**

 

I was doing great as I battled the tall amazon newborn in front of me. It gave me a thrill as I dislocated her shoulders using that move that Peter taught me and then I laughed a little as I did a kick ass move, leaping over her and wrenching her arm off as I landed. I pinned her down and started to dismember her, my first battle kill. 

 

As I was tearing her apart, I tried to control my anger when I saw Maria approach Jasper. I was fine at first because I felt his reassurance. I saw the way she leered and eye fucked him and I wanted to rip her fucking head off right there, but I resisted, still in control. She might have looked scary back in the day but with the fucked up eyes, she was just creepy. I focused my shield on him and made sure my outer shield was ready to be released as I ripped the head off the newborn and tossed it aside. Maria stepped closer towards him and I growled. I lost it though, when she reached out and touched him. All I could see was red when she pulled him down to the ground so I threw out my shield and launched her away from him. I needed to protect my Jasper as I ran towards forward, ready to destroy that bitch. 

 

It was my fucking fault that I lost all other train of thought and didn’t see Megan until it was too late. By the time she was near, I barely managed to jump up and back to avoid her hands on my head. Unfortunately, I wasn’t fast enough to evade her completely.

 

_Oh shit!_

 

I braced for what was to come. “Fuck!!!” I yelled as I felt my right arm get torn off. “Motherfucker!” I yelled but the screeching sound of my torn flesh hid my curse. 

 

I took deep breaths as I tried to calm myself. Even though I anticipated that she’d rip my arm off when I felt her hands around my upper arm, it still hurt like fucking hell. It made me grateful that I had been through this before and therefore knew that I just needed to clear my thoughts and fight through it. 

 

_Fight through the pain._

 

Jasper’s scream helped bring me back to the realization that we were still on the battlefield. I quickly reached for my arm. I didn’t have time to fuse at the moment so I tossed it to the side. “Take my arm!” I yelled, hoping one of the guards heard me. “Keep it safe!” I wanted to make sure the fireball producing newborn wouldn’t get anywhere near my arm, or anybody for that matter. 

 

I turned towards Megan, trying to tamp down my inner rage and the excruciating pain in order to focus on the task at hand - destroying the fucking bitch. I was breathing hard and practically snarling as I continued to glare at her. She was watching me intently as she crouched low and smirked. I followed suit and was ready to take her on. I could feel Jasper sending he concern and I sent him reassurance as I ran towards the smirking vampire. I was in control and I wanted to rip her to pieces. When I got close, I jumped up and did a flying spin kick right at her head. The sickening sound of her vertebrae cracking echoed into the air and she slumped over, temporarily paralyzed by the injury. If I wasn’t unbalanced because of my missing arm, I would have had a better chance of beheading her but because of my injury, I was slightly off. 

 

As I walked over to her, I kept her pinned down with my shield. I grabbed her by the hair and jerked hard and the smirk on her face was replaced by wide eyes and fear. She was scared as I bent my head towards her year. I gritted out, “Game over, bitch.” I tossed her back down to the ground and stomped hard, causing her to cry out as her spine broke before I planted my foot down on her neck. I reached back down to grab a handful of hair and pulled as I twisted. Her head tore off with a loud metallic screech as I let out the roar of pain that I had been holding back. 

 

Jasper came racing over to me as I spat venom on the head and tossed it over to Felix, who looked like a football wide receiver at that moment. When he got near, he pulled me close as he checked to see if there were other injuries before he was satisfied.

 

“I’m sorry, I... I lost focus,” I said with a sigh as I looked at him. “I saw her touching you and lost my fucking focus.” I was frustrated at myself for having made such a rookie mistake. I took out my anger by ripping Megan’s arm off and hurtling it towards some piles of random body parts of broken newborns. That was followed by her ankle and then her other arm. 

 

“Isabella, other than gettin’ your arm ripped off, are you feelin’ okay?” Jasper lifted my chin up look at me with concern in his eyes. 

 

“Yeah, just pissed at myself for fucking up like that,” I gritted out. I ripped what was left of Megan into smaller pieces and tossed her into a new pile of body parts. “Come on, let’s get the crazy ass bitch, if you haven’t torn her yet.”

 

“No I haven’t,” he said as he grabbed my hand. “I gave her to Jane for the time bein’ so I could check on you. She’s sending her steady pain as we speak. Come on.” We started back over to where Maria and Jane were. 

 

When we got there, Maria was on the ground panting. I looked at my sister’s face and I knew she was sending a steady stream of pain and gauging from Maria’s reaction, she wasn’t using full strength yet. She growled when she saw that I was missing an arm and narrowed her eyes further at Maria. A screech escaped from Maria’s lips. Jasper looked at Jane in appreciation before glaring at Maria. 

 

The guards were running around the field, quickly piling up body parts and starting up new fires. As they got done, they gathered towards us, clearly eager to see the outcome as Jasper slowly walked up to Maria. When he got up close to her, she was face down on the ground trying to claw her way up from the pain. He reached down and pulled her up by her hair, forcing her to look at him.

 

“Maria,” he growled out and fuck, if I didn’t get a thrill seeing him so powerful. “You are under Volturi custody.” He pulled her head closer, tore a piece of her ear off and spat venom on the open wound, causing her to scream out louder. 

 

“But before I hand you over to them, I believe there are a few people who want a piece of you. Char,” he said and looked around. Char blurred up to him and looked at Maria like she was trash. She reached for her hand and with a flick of her wrist, she had pulled it clean off. 

 

Jasper looked at his sister and nodded before he looked at his creator once again. He grabbed the necklace she had around her neck and yanked it off, causing some of the jewels to fall to the ground. Maria tried to reach for them but Jasper pulled her away and pocketed the necklace. “You’re not gettin’ this unless I decide,” he snarled and yanked her onto her feet. 

 

“Peter,” Jasper continued. His voice was calm but I could see he was seething from the fire in his eyes. 

 

I watched as Peter came up and bit down hard onto Maria’s shoulder before he whipped his leg around and sent her to the ground. He spat into her shoulder wound, making her beat her fists onto the ground in pain. Jasper must have also been sending her something wicked in addition to with Jane’s pain, from their expressions of intense concentration. Peter grabbed her foot and twisted it off. He walked off and pulled Char into a hug. I watched as he picked her up and walked away from us. As they passed by a burning pile, they tossed the pieces into the flame. 

 

“Isabella.” 

 

I looked up at Jasper and he nodded at me as I felt his love and comfort and I smiled internally as I thought about all the love I had for him. I grabbed the arm she had used to pull Jasper down and, using my foot as leverage, roughly tore her arm off at the elbow. I bent down and used her arm to hit her hard on the head. Her screams and wails were even louder as I heard more footsteps running towards the crowd. 

 

Jorge and Xavier were now amongst the crowd, being carefully watched by Felix and Diego. They both had their arms taken off but they were pretty whole compared to the others. 

 

Jasper sent more emotions to his maker and we all watched as she tore at her hair in agony before she dug into her chest, tearing her dress as she scratched deep fissures into her flesh with her nails. She was in so much pain and anguish from whatever lethal cocktail he sent her, she must not have realized she was actually ripping her own flesh apart. Her gauzy white dress was torn, dirt stained and coated with venom. Jasper looked up at the guards, nodded and then stepped aside. One after another, they all repeated his actions, spitting venom into her wounds until she writhed on the ground, begging for mercy.

 

“Mercy?” Jasper spat out as he forced her to look at him. He stared at her and laughed menacingly. “You are askin’ for fuckin’ mercy when you gave none back in the day? I’ll be willin’ to bet you don’t give mercy these days either. I will never give you mercy, you bitch whore. No, the only ones that would be able to grant you mercy would be the kings, should they choose to. I doubt it though.”

 

“Mi solado,” she rasped out. “Please.” 

 

He looked at her with pure, black hatred in his eyes and her screams grew even louder. The force of them caused a tremor on the ground and the nearby trees to shake. All the while though, even through the powerful emotions he sent her, he sent me his love. 

 

Her arm twitched in my hands as it tried to reunite with its owner. I held onto to it tightly and spat venom into the open wound as I continued to watch my Jasper rage over his creator. It was mesmerizing to see the power he wielded and I was completely in awe. 

 

_Oh yeah, that’s my man._

 

Jasper grabbed a hold of her hair once again and dragged Maria as we all followed. When he reached Felix and Diego he nodded towards Jorge and Xavier. 

 

“Prisoners of war, Whitlock. So far, they’re being cooperative,” Felix explained and Jasper gave him a pat on the back. 

 

“Good job and thank you,” he said and walked by.

 

We walked as headed towards the newborn heads. Their bodies had been burned or were burning so we knew there was no hope for them. They couldn’t talk; all they could do was make guttural noises. Jasper looked at them, clearly reading their emotions. 

 

“Burn them; they’re of no fuckin’ use. I had a feelin’ they were much too feral. Fuckers can’t even talk because they’re so starved and wild. We couldn't interrogate them even if we tried. They have no emotions other than hunger. Fuckin’ waste,” he said with disgust and sighed before walking towards the far end of the airstrip where the Kings had arrived sometime during the battle. 

 

As I passed a burning pile of bodies, I tossed Maria’s arm in, watching a spark catch the oozing venom on fire before I continued on. Jasper dragged Maria along and ran her over cinders and pools of venom from her newborns which caused her to scream some more. When we got to where the Kings were standing, Jasper handed Maria to Alec just as Jane ghosted over next to her brother. 

 

“Whitlock, we’ll begin the trial shortly. Pierre is bringing Edward and they are on their way,” Caius explained. I figured Jasper would be busy with official business stuff so I quickly bowed to the kings before walking over to where I had tossed my arm, hoping it was there.

 

_Oh please let it be there. I’ll kick some ass if it was accidentally burned._

 

When I got to the small clearing, I grabbed a bag of blood and started looking around for my arm. Jackie came up to me and pointed behind her so I walked over and found my arm twitching on the ground. I sat down next to it and tore the blood bag open, knowing I didn’t have enough venom to help fuse my arm together yet. Jasper came up to me and reached over to grab a hold of my arm. I watched as he ripped the fabric away from my shoulder, exposing my wound. He pulled me onto his lap so that I was facing him and I wrapped my good arm around him as I inhaled his scent. 

 

“It will sting but I’ll set it for you,” he said quietly as he undid my hair and breathed in. “Fuck, I got scared when I saw her aimin’ for your head, Isabella. I thought I was gonna fuckin’ lose you and I was ready to unleash my fury on her. I nearly did until I felt how downright pissed and determined you were. I was relieved you were pissed as hell.” He made sure the area was clean before licking both my shoulder and arm, putting as much as possible of his venom onto both surfaces, the sting causing me to hiss and wince. He sent a strong dose of love as he pressed my arm against my shoulder. I rested my head against his chest and let out a whimper.

 

“Shh, I’ve got you, just hold still,” he whispered and kissed me as he pressed my arm harder, sending me calm and comfort, his trademark Isabella cocktail. His other hand caressed my face before pulling me against him. “Drink more blood, it’ll help you heal faster. You doin’ okay?”

 

“Yes, it stings but I can feel it starting to slowly mesh together,” I gritted out painfully and closed my eyes as I sipped from the bag. “Thank you. I still feel bad about losing my shit like that.” 

 

“Hang on, I need to make sure the scar won’t look too jagged,” he said and licked around my shoulder wound, introducing more of his venom into the area. I let out noise that sounded something like a hiss and a moan as the sensation of the sting and his tongue got me a little distracted. He chuckled as he felt my emotions. “There, that ought to do it.” He lifted my chin up and his eyes were full of fear and fire. “Don’t you ever fuckin’ scare me like that. It took every ounce of fuckin’ control not to decimate every fuckin’ creature right at that very moment. You’re my life and when she reached towards your head I...”

 

My lips crashed onto his and I held onto him tighter, enjoying the feel of him against me. He pulled me closer to him as he grabbed my hair with one hand while the other continued to hold onto my healing arm. I sent him all my love and adoration plus my appreciation that he was taking care of me. He kissed my neck and jaw as I felt his love, admiration and pride envelop me. 

 

“I’m sorry for worrying you like that,” I whispered as I rested my head against his shoulder. “I had this uncontrollable urge to protect you and destroy her at the same time.” 

 

“No, don’t be sorry. I’m just fuckin’ glad you’re safe. I was tryin’ to send you calm but by the time I saw her, it was too late,” he said and I felt some regret coming from him.

 

“Stop.” I placed my hand over his chest, over his heart. “I’m safe, we’re both safe.” 

 

“Hey, are you alright to walk around?” 

 

“Yes, if we go slow I think I should be fine.” 

 

“Come and walk with me; I need to make sure everybody is alright,” he said a few minutes later and helped me to my feet. He took a sip of the blood bag before handing it back to me. 

 

We walked around slowly as he was still applying pressure to my arm. He stopped and grabbed a box of blood bags as he made sure everybody was accounted for and that any injuries were being attended to. Peter and Char were talking to some of the Volturi guards as we walked by and Jasper tossed them a few bags. When he reached Felix and Diego with the prisoners, I saw the look of fear as they recognized who was approaching them.

 

“Here,” Jasper said to the Volturi guards, “give them some blood. Trial will start soon and if they’re cooperative, they might just get to keep their limbs.” 

 

As we walked away Jasper chuckled quietly. “Maria’s men didn’t expect that,” he whispered against my ear. “They were scared to see me because they knew of me and my reputation. The scars scared the fuck out of them and I felt both of them brace themselves for something. I guess after what they saw me do to Maria they expected the same treatment. They didn’t expect me or the Volturi to show any decency and it’s thrown them off about us. They might be more amenable now to bein’ interrogated without much influence.” 

 

“Let’s hope so,” I replied. 

 

Straight ahead of us, we saw Chelsea sitting on Afton’s lap. It looked like she was being taken care of by her mate as we slowly approached them. 

 

“How’s your injury?” Jasper asked as handed Afton some bags of blood. 

 

“I’m fine. I got bitten by a rabid newborn, the fireball one,” Chelsea said and frowned. “She was aiming for my neck when a fireball sparked between her fingers. It caught both of us by surprise which was probably a good thing because she ended up tearing my shoulder instead. I tried to spin away just as she bit down but she was just faster.” Chelsea grabbed a now open bag of blood from Afton. “I ended up taking her down in a leg scissor hold and then Afton and I tore her apart.” 

 

“It’ll heal soon, and drinkin’ the blood will help. Thank you for fightin’, I am sorry you were injured,” Jasper said. 

 

“It wasn’t just our duty or obligation to fight that brought us here, Whitlock. Knowing you were leading us, we both decided to join,” Afton said and smiled. “Come on Chels, let’s get you over to the Kings. I’m sure the trial will start shortly.” 

 

Peter and Char came up to us just as Chelsea and Afton headed to the south end of the field where the kings were. 

 

“You alright, Cookie?” Char asked and placed her hand over my wounded shoulder. “I’ve got her Jasper. Peter’s got you some blood.” 

 

Char held onto my arm as Jasper walked over to Peter and grabbed the blood bag. “How are you, Cookie?” she asked. She carefully held me as we sat down on the ground. 

 

“Fine, I’m still pissed at myself for losing my shit like that,” I said and grimaced as I felt that sensation of my flesh knitting itself together. “I saw her touching him and I shot her into the air and forgot my surroundings. It was careless but all I saw was red and I wanted to maim and kill her. Because of that, I completely lost track of where I was and bammo, Megan had my arm.”

 

“Sugar, the first time I fought and saw Peter in trouble, I flipped my shit too,” she said quietly and pulled her pant leg up. “Got my leg ripped off at the knee.”

 

I saw the faint scar right below her kneecap and nodded as she continued. “It wasn’t my first battle either, it was my eighth one when it happened and at the time, I didn’t realize that I had such strong feelings for Peter.” 

 

The guys came back and sat down next to us. Jasper pulled me onto his lap and took over the task of holding my arm against me. “Thanks Char,” he said and patted her knee while Peter sat behind her and pulled her onto his lap. 

 

“Major, you okay now?” Peter asked. 

 

“Yeah,” he replied. “I am fine. I am not done with her yet. I wanted to keep her a little more whole for now so the trial could take place and her mind wouldn’t be as affected. If that doesn’t work, I’ve still got shit I can send her plus her little bauble,” he said and patted his pocket where the necklace was. “I’ve barely touched her either,” he added. 

 

“What did you send her?” I asked. “You looked absolutely lethal and feral.” 

 

“Not much, just the pain of her newborns bein’ ripped apart today. There is plenty more where that came from. I haven't even begun to give her real pain.” 

 

We all looked up at the sound of a large vehicle was approaching. A black SUV pulled into sight. It must have been Pierre because nobody was really panicking. Peter and Char ran off to the already growing crowd as Jasper picked me up and carried me bridal style while he continued to keep a sturdy hold onto my injured arm. 

 

When we arrived, the kings motioned Jasper to the front. He set me down and with a quick kiss, went up to the Kings and conferred with them. I looked around and found Peter and Char. Jane and Heidi were near the front on guard duty so I gave them both a quick wave. Edward had been taken out of the vehicle and was now placed back in a cage like box. It wasn’t like the ones we had used when we took him to Volterra, but more like the one Pierre had in side V-One, only more upright, allowing him to stand up with a slight hunch. Another cage was next to him and Maria could be heard inside, still begging for mercy and that damn necklace. A couple minutes later, Jasper came back and we stood together while we waited for the trial to begin. 

 

The sounds of shuffling behind us caused many of us there to turn around and see Diego and Felix approaching with Xavier and Jorge. The two prisoners kept their eyes down as they were led up to the kings. 

 

“State your names please,” Aro began and motioned the rest of us to sit down.

 

The two men looked at each other as though in a silent conversation. Aro repeated his question and took a step forward. 

 

“Xavier.”

 

“Jorge.”

 

I could tell the men were reluctant to offer information to Aro and they continued to keep their eyes lowered. Their arms were still detached which was good since we were pretty sure Jorge’s gift required his hands to work, based on our surveillance. 

 

“I am Aro and behind me are my brothers, Caius and Marcus. Together we are known as the Volturi. Amongst us here are our guards and associates,” Aro began and slowly approached the men. “My brothers and I have been leaders of our kind for over a millennia now. Do you know why you’re here?” 

 

Jorge looked up slowly and looked around before replying, “We were captured during the battle.” 

 

Aro nodded. “How familiar are you with our gifts?” he asked and looked over to Jasper. 

 

I turned to Jasper and I could almost guess he was getting a read on the two men. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was also using his gift and sending some confidence or trust to them. He turned and gave me a quick wink before looking ahead once again. 

 

“I... I...” Jorge began and sighed. He looked up and whispered what sounded like a prayer under his breath. “I am only familiar with what I got from Serge,” he said, his voice was quiet. “I was the one who had him planted. The idea first came from La Viuda but I was the one that he reported to, at first.” 

 

“Continue,” Caius said and made a motion with his hands that he wanted the whole story.

 

Jorge sighed again. “Very well. My gift is I can take away your memories with a touch to the head. Recent memories are quickly erased with my touch. If I continue, I can erase more memories until you fall into an unconscious state if you’re a vampire; your brain is wiped clean by then. The younger the vampire, the easier it can be done because there are usually fewer memories. For humans, it doesn’t take as long to take all their memories to the point where they don’t even feel pain or know what pain is. It is what I use when I feed, but I digress. I took Serge’s memories away while we were in Italy and I made sure he was near the castle after I was done. I watched from afar to see that he was discovered by some guards. I knew what they were from their hooded robes. From there, I let him learn everything he could. When he was reassigned back to Latin America, well, I met up with him one day and managed to gather some information from him and then take the memory of our meeting afterwards. It went on for a few years but as he got older. I wasn’t sure how much of his memories to take and I am not sure if I might have lead to his demise by inadvertently leaving some random and careless memories.”

 

A hiss broke out in the direction of Maria’s cage. “You betrayed me,” she rasped out. 

 

“What is your allegiance to Maria?” Marcus asked as he stepped forward. 

 

I knew Jorge’s conversation a few nights ago was reported back to the Kings so I figured it was a test of sorts.

 

“She is my maker,” Jorge began and looked over in towards her direction. “I used to be very loyal in the beginning; we were more than just soldiers. We were lovers for a very brief period but I knew she belonged to another. As years went on and the fighting ensued, I realized she wanted ultimate control. She wanted to destroy the Volturi. When her future died with her mate, her goal to become the most powerful vampire accelerated and I often wondered if it was because of the vision from her mate. If I can be frank, I often questioned her motives because I felt that they weren’t safe decisions, especially recent ones with the newborns. I... I realized as I stayed that I wasn’t cut out for being a soldier. I was just going through the motions, just trying to survive. The irony is that I am now ready to accept my fate even if it means dying.”

 

“May I?” Aro blurred up to Jorge and reached out. Jorge nodded once and bowed his head. 

 

“Interesting,” Aro said a few minutes later. “You gathered information on us as well as our associate Whitlock through Serge, but you chose not to act on it. Can you explain to the crowd why?”

 

There was a brief pause before Jorge nodded once again. “Yes, I... I found out that the woman I was told was dangerous by La Viuda’s mate’s brother,” he paused and looked around before pointing at Edward. “Him, he was the one that said she was dangerous but she was actually a queen. I had no idea when I lead the interrogation that it would ultimately end her life. Even after learning about Serge’s role and Whitlock’s involvement, I kept things quiet from her. I didn’t want to fight, especially when it was something I wasn’t wholeheartedly in agreement with. One night, while traveling around Latin America, La Viuda found Serge in a bar and managed to use her wiles to get him to agree to be her spy. She used he information he supplied her to convince him to destroy Whitlock. Her intent was to get rid of him first before using Serge to help her in destroying the Volturi. That never came to fruition because he was destroyed.”

 

We all looked at each other at the news of this confession. 

 

“I managed to get Serge alone a couple times after that and tried to use my ability on him. I might have gotten rid of some of his memories. I was caught by her lackey Megan and as punishment, La Viuda tore my hands off and kept them for nearly two weeks.” He looked up once more. “I understand I committed a heinous crime and deserve death. Like I said, I am prepared for it. But please, Xavier here is completely innocent to this. He is a loyal friend and I could wipe his memory away if you’d like to have him as a soldier.”

 

“No Jorge!” Xavier exclaimed, his voice breaking. “He is right, I was not aware of this. I have been a vampire for a few years now, but it was only recently that I became a soldier. I was a farmer when I was changed.” 

 

Wow, that was a sordid story. I shook my head as I listened it unfold. I couldn’t help but wonder if Jorge’s attempts to take Serge’s memories caused him to be careless about destroying Jasper. I guess if that were the case, I was fucking thankful that Serge was destroyed and not my Jasper. I leaned next to Jasper and he sat me down on his lap and held me as we continued to watch. 

 

“Can you move your arm a little?” he whispered.

 

I nodded and gingerly moved my arm as we continued to watch the trial. I was so thankful for Jasper helping me fuse back together, for being here next to me. I was also fucking glad that he prevailed over Maria. I knew it wasn’t over yet but still, she was under Volturi control and it felt good to know that her insanity would end. 

 

Aro had moved in front of Xavier and was asking him if he could touch him. 

 

Xavier nodded and Aro placed his hand on Xavier’s shoulder. “Very well,” Aro said. “Felix, Diego, please help Jorge and Xavier reattach their arms. Jorge, you will use your gift on Xavier here. Xavier, we will find a position for you in Volterra where you will serve your sentence. You won’t be a guard unless you choose to afterwards but you will serve us in some capacity. Jorge, I will reserve your punishment until the rest of the trials are done.” He looked pointedly at Jorge. “We might need your gift.” 

 

And with that, they were led away. 

 

Aro paced around in a small circle before announcing, “Next on trial, Maria.” 

 

 


	29. Chapter 29

 

**Chapter 29**

 

**SONGS:**

**The Enemy – Godsmack**

**Familiar Taste of Poison - Halestorm**

 

**JPOV**

 

 

I had seen hundreds and maybe even thousands of limbs torn off in the past, includin’ my own. Seein’ my Isabella arm ripped like that really shook me to the core though and I wasn’t lyin’ when I told her that I wanted to destroy every creature in the surroundin’ area. It took all the fuckin’ control I had not to. If she hadn’t gotten up and promptly destroyed Megan, I would have done it myself, and then some.

 

Later, after I handed Maria over to the Volturi, I watched as she tried to hide her pain and walk towards a small clearing. She was a little frightened about the fate of her arm but she was also tryin’ to put up a brave front as well. I could feel and see her anxiety. She was busy fightin’ Megan so she had not known that Nikolai had taken it to a safe spot for her. I followed her and was more than willin’ to help her fuse her arm back. I had never taken that much time and care to make sure anybody was fused properly; usually I just spit some venom into my hand and slap it onto their wound. My demon grunted silently in approval as I made sure she had plenty of my venom on her wound before I reattached her arm, that possessive bastard. Even though it stung, I knew she was a little turned on when I used my mouth and tongue to add more venom into her shoulder. There would be more time to focus on that once we got back home but first we had to get back to the business at hand. 

 

As I sat there with her, I felt her emotions; she sent me strong waves of love and then her appreciation as I took care of her. I sent her back my pride because I was so fuckin’ proud of her as I watched her tear Megan apart like that. I know she was pissed off that she had lost her concentration but knowin’ that she had the urge to protect me amazed me. Once again, I was in awe that she would risk so much to protect me like that but, then again, I would do the same thing for her without a doubt. 

 

I also needed to make sure everybody else was accounted for after the battle but I didn’t want to leave her and I could feel she wanted to stay close to me as well. I asked her to walk with me and monitored her emotions to make sure I wasn’t causin’ her discomfort or pain. I also made sure I had a hold of her arm so it could fuse properly. It was a good opportunity to thank everybody for their part in the battle before the trial got underway. 

 

As we sat and watched the trial, I managed to relax and I sent a really low dose of trust to both Xavier and Jorge. Isabella was sitting to my right and she looked up at me with a smile as I rested my hand on her thigh. She still kept her arm immobilized as she rested her left hand on top of mine while we continued to watch Xavier and Jorge up front. 

 

So far, Jorge seemed sincere as he told his tale about Serge. I was surprised that given what Jorge had kept what he discovered from Serge from Maria. She was growlin’ and seethin’ from her cage as she listened to her right-hand-man’s confessions but there was nothing she could do anything about it now. Edward must have still been bound to the Volturi and Pierre must have been usin’ his gift as well because he was just confused about what was goin’ on. 

 

I pulled Isabella against me after I felt her lean her head on my shoulder. I wanted to feel closer to her so I sat her on my lap, her back against me and my arms around her as we continued to watch the trial. I breathed in her scent and began to feel even calmer almost immediately. I quietly asked her to move her arm a little as she should be almost completely healed by now and was happy that she was able to. There wasn’t any pain or discomfort comin’ off of her either, just her love and pride for me. 

 

Aro's decision to have Xavier serve his punishment by being a part of the Volturi seemed fittin’. It was a good tactic to have him become part of the staff and not a guard during his sentence, and only afterwards would he get the choice. It was to show that being part of the Volturi guard was a privilege and not a punishment. 

 

Xavier really wasn’t privy to a lot of what Jorge had talked about as I felt his surprise as he heard about Serge. He seemed sincere. I felt his apprehension and fear when he was given his sentence but he was also relieved he wasn’t going to be destroyed. Recalling our surveillance footage, I imagined most of his apprehension was due to the fact that he was from a small village. I didn’t think he ever had such opportunities in his human life and it was overwhelmin’ him. 

 

That whole story about Serge was interestin’ to say the least. The way it had started out as Maria’s plan until Jorge sort of deceived her and before Maria took over once again was just crazy. His alliance with Maria would have explained the deception I felt from Serge back then. I also guessed that Jorge’s attempts to remove some of Serge’s memories might also have caused him to make the mistakes that ultimately lead to me destroying him. I was convinced that she must have gotten him to set that fire in my office too. Good thing I decided to have more face-time meetings with him as much as he hated that. Had I not, I would not have been able to feel his deception and who knows what would have happened by now. I would have most likely walked into that ambush by the cartels and they would have had a chance to battle the Volturi. 

 

I honestly wasn’t surprised that Maria wanted a piece of him and had used her body to get him to do her bidding. I remembered somethin’ her sisters had said about Maria in my early days as a vampire. She had been a prostitute and a madame back in her human days before she was changed. Even having a mate didn’t stop her from usin’ her body like that. 

 

I wasn’t entirely surprised that Aro and his brothers were reservin’ judgement on Jorge. Where there was unanimous agreement from the brothers on Xavier’s fate, I felt their conflict with Jorge. Even Marcus was conflicted after knowin’ Jorge had a part in his mate’s demise. Was he an enemy or was he victim as well? It was hard to tell because he seemed to be a little bit of both. 

 

After Xavier and Jorge were dismissed Aro announced that Maria’s trial was next, Aro looked over to us and motioned us to come up. 

 

“Come on, I think they want me to give them my take on the previous trial,” I explained. 

 

“Alright,” Isabella said quietly. 

 

I approached the Kings and they waved us over. 

 

“Did you notice anything unusual, Whitlock?” Caius asked. “Good work out there earlier, by the way.”

 

I shook my head as I sent him my appreciation. “No, Xavier wasn’t aware of the whole Serge ordeal and Jorge was bein' truthful. His loyalty to Maria isn’t really strong. I personally couldn’t tell if he’s an enemy or a victim, to be honest.” 

 

“If truth be known, I think he’s a little bit of both. One could also say that Maria’s orders caused him to become an enemy,” Aro muttered. “The line between victim and enemy for Jorge is blurred and as you can probably tell, Whitlock, we’re a bit conflicted as to how to move forward with him.” 

 

I nodded, “I sensed that, but it is good you’re takin’ your time with him.”

 

Marcus came up to us. “The rope is still there between Jorge and Maria but it is thin and pale,” he explained. He looked up at me. “With you, your bond with your maker is almost nonexistent. It is a mere string and nearly transparent.” 

 

I chuckled. “I’m surprised it hasn’t severed yet.” 

 

Aro looked at me. “I suppose it might after the trial. Thank you for leaving her much more intact than we expected. So long as you don’t burn her head after, we may give you your shot at her. If she gave the instruction to destroy Victoria, then she will die by my brother’s hands,” he said pointedly. 

 

“Fair enough,” I replied. 

 

Marcus smiled at the remark and I could feel he was looking forward to the trial. “Maria’s got one strong bond, well strong is relative, but it appears broken. The rope, which is just slightly thicker than an Ethernet cable, is wrinkled which usually indicates that the bond has been lost because of death,” he continued. "That must be her Alice bond. Had she been truly mated, the rope would also show frays but I didn't see any. The only other bonds bonds that appear to come out of her are threadlike and broken, and it seems she’s always burned her bridges, in the past, so to speak.” 

 

“I could picture that. Everybody has always been expendable to her,” I replied. “By the way, how’s Eddie been fairin’?” I asked since there hadn’t been any reports of him since we got back from our trip from Volterra. 

 

“He’s been behaving. Pierre keeps him in the dark most of the time.” Aro explained. “There are moments though,” he said hesitantly and shook his head. “That instability of his has gotten worse. If he was a human, we’d keep him away from sharp objects. There were a couple times that he’s had outbursts and has insisted on death.” I felt Isabella’s disgust over the whole issue and ran my hand down her back, sending her comfort. 

 

“I am almost certain that the murky bond I noticed before had to do with his destroyed family,” Marcus interjected. “I haven’t seen a connection so far, so it is my best guess.” 

 

Aro looked over at Isabella and gave her a smile but he was also concerned about her wellbein’. “Isabella, how are you healing?”

 

“I’m doing alright. It was painful but Jasper’s helped fuse me and he’s making sure everything heals nicely,” she replied and I once again felt her love washing over me. 

 

The Kings gave us warm smiles but before we could continue, our attention was diverted by the sound of a cage being opened, so we bowed at the Kings and walked back to sit down. 

 

Maria was escorted up, surrounded by guards. Alec led the charge with Chelsea and Felix on opposite sides of her and Jane following. 

 

Renata appeared in front of the kings as Aro stepped down and placed his hand on Maria’s shoulder. 

 

Shock, anger and outrage flooded through Aro as he read her memories. His eyes darkened and his chest rumbled before he jerked his hand off of her almost two minutes later. 

 

“Maria, formerly known to us as the Scourge of the South,” Aro began as he paced back and fourth. 

 

At her nickname, smugness and defiance came from the Hell Bitch and she lifted her chin up slightly. 

 

“Formerly?” she sneered indignantly.

 

“SILENCE!” Aro yelled. “You will not speak until you are spoken to.” He looked up at Jane and nodded. 

 

A screech came out of Maria’s mouth and she stumbled as the pain hit her. 

 

“Now then,” Aro said after her screaming stopped. “You are accused of the murder of one Victoria Volturi... Queen Victoria of the Volturi. You are also accused of treason against the Volturi. What say you?”

 

“I... I didn’t realize,” she said quietly.

 

I shook my head but I could also see Aro knew as well.

 

“LIES!” he yelled and more pain was sent to Maria.

 

“Fine,” she panted out. “I had been told she was dangerous. I had her interrogated but she never said a word. For days, I had her bitten, her flesh ripped apart and her limbs torn and still she said nothing. In the end, I just destroyed her. I enjoyed tearing her head away from her body and letting her watch as her body burned piece by piece.” I could feel her joy as she talked about Victoria’s last moments but there was also a hint of fear even though she tried to sound nonchalant. “It wasn’t until I began using Serge years later that I realized I had destroyed a Volturi queen.”

 

Growls filled the air as we realized without a doubt she was Victoria’s executioner. Marcus’ eyes darkened as hate for the creature in front of him grew. 

 

“You know this means death for you,” Caius said menacingly as he approached Maria. He slowly circled around her, and his gaze never left hers and his hands flexed as though he wanted to get his hands on her. “What about your other crimes? Like your plans to destroy the Volturi?” 

 

“I would have succeeded, too,” she snarled. “It was guaranteed by my Alice. She saw the two of us destroying the vampire world and then ruling the world.”

 

“And how do you suppose that was going to take place?” Aro asked. “Elaborate to the crowd.” He shot a look at me and I immediately sent her a low but steady stream of trust so she’d talk.

 

“We were going to use her family’s dirty secret to turn everybody at Volterra into mortals,” she said and laughed maniacally. “We would have succeeded too; she saw it and told me about it.”

 

The field surrounding me was filled with shock and outrage over her admission planning to destroy the Volturi and how she was goin’ to do it. Even Eddie was a little pissed off at the news and let out a growl. I couldn’t see him inside his cage but I could feel betrayal comin’ off of him. 

 

“You used me!” he yelled out. “You used me for your own schemes!”

 

I was a little surprised by the revelation. It seemed we were all a part of Alice and Maria’s

intricate web of deceit. It wasn’t just me or Isabella, all the Cullens were victims of their game. While we’d never know how many of Alice’s visions were really true and how far they could have succeeded, their game was over. Fuckin’ two of a fuckin’ kind. I felt the warmth and love override my negative feelings as Isabella reached out and grabbed my hand. Her constant love and trust once again enveloped me and I breathed a sigh of relief before sendin’ her my devotion and appreciation. 

 

Marcus growled out, “I’ve heard enough.” He was seethin’ over the news of his once beloved mate and I didn’t blame him for the rage that was threatening to overflow. 

 

Aro and Caius both went to Marcus and pulled him aside. The three kings conferred in relative silence and I felt their brotherly love grow as they tried to console Marcus. A minute later, I felt resolution just as Aro turned back around and looked over to the crowd. 

 

“We’ve decided on the verdict,” he announced and glared at Maria. “You will be dismembered and burned immediately.” He looked at me and nodded while he sent me a silent stream of understanding. 

 

I got up and pulled Isabella to her feet before wrappin’ my arms around her. They had given me the opportunity to tear her apart so long as I left the head for Marcus. It was the moment I had wanted for the longest time but I also needed my woman’s love to make sure I there was no chance that I would fall into a bad place, which was easy to do in the presence of that fuckin’ Whore of Satan as Isabella called her. No, I wasn’t going to fall into that abyss again, not with Isabella’s love; it brought me strength and I felt like I was absorbin’ it while I held her tightly against me. 

 

“I fuckin’ love you, Isabella,” I whispered quietly against her ear, breathin’ in her scent. 

 

“And I fucking love you, Jasper. You’re my life and my world. I am here for you,” she vowed. 

 

After a quick kiss, I stalked off towards Maria. I reached into my pocket for the necklace and tossed it to her feet and watched as she grabbed it and gave it a kiss as she stared at me. She was fearless and smug as she stood before me. I could feel her bracin’ herself for an onslaught but I knew damn well she wasn’t aware of the exact power I wielded. I stepped forward. It was show time. 

 

Each step I took, I unleashed a decade of terror that ruled over me while in her camp. It began with the moment I woke into the life of a vampire; all the atrocities that I was subject to and ones I had to unleash on humans and vampires alike, were concentrated on the bitch in front of me. She turned to look at me with a smirk but after my second step, I saw her eyes begin to darken as my terror slammed into her body. I unlocked the cage to let my demon out as I felt my eyes darken. She let out a small whimper and my demon leaned against his open cage and laughed at our maker. 

 

Death and destruction flooded into her system. Inhumanity pierced into her body. Venom coated her eyes as I took another step. She stumbled where she stood and fell to the ground as I took two more. Her breath became uneven and she started pantin’; she couldn’t even stand up as the weight of the emotions held her down. Then the strangest thing happened - venom started to leak out of her eyes as I took one more step towards her. I stood for a moment as I let over half a century of my emotions start to weigh her down even more, just as the weight lifted off of me. 

 

By now, I couldn’t even feel her emotions and I knew it was partly because Isabella had chosen to shield me completely. But it was more than that; it was as though her own emotions were completely shut down and mine took over her body as I continued to take another step towards her. The venom that poured out of her eyes trailed down her face and onto the ground. I didn’t even care that my creator was feelin’ my hell as I took one more step; nearly ninety years worth of emotions unleashed and my demon applauded and cheered me on. I released more and more anguish at her, and my hands flexed as I got closer; I couldn’t wait to rip into her flesh. She finally regained her voice; her keening wails filled the air as I took my final steps towards her. The weight that had held me down for so long was faint as I stood tall over her fallen body, but I wasn’t done yet. I roared as I stood right next to her. The deafening, thunderous noise shook the ground and the trees as I continued to stare down at the emotionally broken Maria. 

 

I stared at her, knowin’ my eyes had turned the blacker than ever, but I hadn’t lost my control. My demon was just watchin’ and enjoyin’ the scene in front of him. He was completely relaxed. 

 

I continued to feel the steady love from my Isabella and in return I sent her mine as I reached down to grab Maria and pulled her roughly to her feet. My fingers dug into her flesh as I dragged my hands down her arms, leavin’ gaping wounds at my wake. What was left of her arms oozed venom as I pulled and twisted my hands to viciously rip off her arms. I tossed the pieces towards the crowd and watched as guards quickly set them on fire. My fingers dug into her chest after I found the gashes she left earlier. I let out a roar and ripped her torso apart as more venom oozed out of her gaping wounds and her eyes. I tore into her in rage; big pieces were shredded into smaller ones, her venom spraying all over as she was painfully destroyed. The metallic sounds rang into the air, masking her cries. 

 

Everybody else was quiet. Fear and awe surrounded me but I barely paid attention to it; all I really felt was Isabella’s love surrounding me. Her love was the most important thing I needed to feel at the moment; the only thing I needed to feel. When I was done, the only intact piece of her was her head. Her screams of pain slowly subsided and were replaced by gurgles as venom leaked down her throat. I spit my own venom at her and walked away while she watched as her body burned in various piles around the grounds. 

 

I sat back down and pulled Isabella into my lap once again. I breathed in her scent deeply as I re-centered myself. She kissed me quickly on the lips, a kiss that held so much promise, love and hope. I held her tightly against my chest as we watched the scene ahead of us unfold. 

 

Marcus stood up and walked slowly towards the head. At first, I could almost feel that he wanted to jump into the pyre as well, but as he walked forward, his eyes darted to the many faces that served the Volturi and slowly I felt that he realized his ideas were reckless and the idea faded away. He was still filled with hate for the head that sat on the floor. Every single one of us watched as he grabbed Maria by her hair and he slammed her head down onto the ground, bashin’ her over and over again. He wasn’t hurtin’ her, but he needed to release his own pain and anguish. He screamed and yelled as he slammed the head down over and over again, leaving craters on the concrete of the abandoned airfield. 

 

His brothers watched Marcus and I felt how sad they were to see what they were witnessing but they were also relieved he was getting some form of closure. He tore at her skin and gouged out one eye. I watched as he spat venom into the empty socket before ripping her lower jaw clean off. He was still holdin’ onto the head as he started towards the back where the fires had already been started.

 

When he reached the pyre nearest him, he looked at the head once again and spat out, “That was for Victoria, you merciless bitch.” And with that, he slammed her head down into the fire and we watched as it started to lick the leakin’ venom on her neck and face. 

 

We were all silent as Marcus continued to stare into the flames until all that remained of Maria was the billowin’ purple smoke and ashes. He spat into the pile and walked back quietly towards his brothers.

 

Aro stepped up and quietly announced, “Let’s continue the rest of the trial in 72 hours, at Volterra.” He sounded exhausted, which was a hard feat for a vampire but I think all of us were at this point. “There has been enough carnage today. Cullen can wait and this will give us time to make our decision on Jorge. We need to get back to the castle.” He turned around to face Marcus and he and Caius both put their arms around their brother and started to walk off. 

 

“ALICE!” Edward screamed from his cage, breaking the silence. “I hate you! You betrayed me!” The sound of him trying ramming his body into the cage door rang in the air. 

 

“Alec, can we do something about this?” Aro asked and looked at Marcus with concern. “We shouldn’t need to deal with this now. Let’s get him sedated and we’ll continue this...”

 

Marcus held his hand up, interruptin’ Aro. “My brother, I am fine. Let’s get young Cullen’s issue resolved here and now.” He was clearly annoyed by the outbursts as he quietly added, “I don’t want to hear more of his crazy talk.”

 

“Very well,” Aro said and sighed. “Pierre, if you will, bring young Cullen out. We’ll commence when he arrives.” 

 

Isabella looked at me and gave me a kiss. “Are you alright, cowboy? About the whole Maria thing?” she whispered to me.

 

I took her hand and placed it over my heart. “I am. If I didn’t have you or even Peter or Char, I’d be lost,” I whispered back as I kissed her hair. “My past with Maria will always be a part of me but I’m not gonna let it haunt me like it used to. I have control now. I let my demon out on a regular basis and I don’t feel the guilt from my meals. Hell, I let him out tonight and he was fuckin’ giddy just standin’ by his cage and watchin’. My past with the Cullens, even though they never truly trusted me, did give me some peace in the beginning. They were a part of my life as well but that ship sailed long ago.”

 

“And now?”

 

I sighed. “You said weeks ago that I’ve been able to reinvent myself. That I take both the good and the bad and learn to move on. Now and forever, Isabella, it’ll be you and me.”

 

“Jasper?” Isabella looked at me with some confusion.

 

“Talk to me,” I said and rubbed her back.

 

“Edward,” she whispered. “After what Maria confessed out there about her delusional visions of grandeur thanks to the pixie, did you feel anything coming off of him? Anything unusual, I mean. I know he’s gotten a couple outbursts tonight but what about his emotions?”

 

“He heard it and while he’s bonded to the Volturi right now, he still felt a sense of betrayal. He was close to the pixie and Maria’s words cut him and he felt used. Why?”

 

She looked over quickly towards the cages and shook her head. “I don’t know. The desire just isn’t there to destroy him anymore. I’ve already fucked him up and maimed him permanently. He has no family anymore and he’s imprisoned by the Volturi. I just don’t know if I really _need_ to burn his head, you know?”

 

“Babe, if you’re not up to it, it is okay. Just because you can, doesn’t always mean it is the right thing to do. Whatever your decision is, I’m standin’ by you. I’m here for you,” I vowed. I understood her feelings and I could feel it wasn’t out of guilt or remorse that she was feelin’ this way. It was just a matter of wantin’ to move on and I agreed. “I can feel what you’re feelin’, and it is like you have closure.”

 

“Thank you for understanding and I do. Do you, with regards to the Cullens? If you don’t, I _will_ fuck him up,” she said and gave me a small smile.

 

I kissed her and held her tight against me. “After all I have found out, I do have closure on what we can gather, the rest... well, destroyin’ Maria helped tremendously.”

 

We turned as the sounds of Eddie’s wheelchair approached the front. Isabella was deep in thought as to her decision. 

 

“I want to die!” yelled Edward as he was presented to the Kings. 

 

Aro looked at Eddie with disdain as well as pity. “Young Cullen, why do you wish to die? Please explain yourself.” 

 

“I... I don’t have anything anymore,” Eddie said and I could feel guilt and shame coming off of him, along with a slew of random emotions that flashed so fast I couldn’t read every single one. I was able to get deception, betrayal and defeat. 

 

“My family is gone and I cannot do anything anymore. My studies, my Bella... everything is gone,” he cried out. “I cannot even play the piano anymore. All I wanted was to not be a monster anymore so I could find Bella and...” He paused and looked around. “I can’t even rescue her anymore. She’s lost to me.” 

 

Isabella looked at the boy in front of her with disgust but she was also feelin’ sorry for him. “Jesus,” she whispered softly against my ear. “It is so pathetic but I guess it is what he knows, right?”

 

I nodded and held her tight against me once again. “He always had a flair for the dramatic, I guess that hasn’t changed,” I responded. “Everybody feels similar too.” 

 

“Very well,” Aro muttered and looked over at Chelsea. “Chelsea? Can you assist?” Aro called out and Chelsea approached with Afton still holdin’ onto her injured shoulder. 

 

“Yes, your majesty, I can,” she replied and looked at Edward before she closed her eyes. There was a shift in emotions comin’ from Edward as I imagined his bond with the Volturi was dissolvin’ and by the time Chelsea opened her eyes, he was in his full crazy mode once again. 

 

“You tricked me!” he spat out towards Chelsea. “I have been imprisoned! Monsters!” He rasped out just as Jane looked at him and shot him some pain. 

 

“Silence,” Caius shouted out and Aro reached over to touch Edward’s shoulder. Marcus watched the scene but I could feel he was still lost in thought over what happened earlier. 

 

Aro shook his head. “Isabella, your request has been granted. We’re done with this. We’ve learned all we can.” 

 

Isabella slowly stood up and grabbed my hand. “You don’t mind do you?” she asked as she looked at me and then at the broken boy. 

 

“I told you, whatever decision you make, I’ll be here for you,” I replied and sent her reassurance. 

 

Together, hand in hand, we walked up to the front. I stood next to her as she turned and faced Edward and once more, her shield slammed shut to prevent my former brother from reading our thoughts. 

 

He saw us and growled low before the word “monster” slipped from his lips. Isabella shot him a glare before she got face to face with him and slapped him. 

 

“You are the monster. Your plan to use humans just so you could be mortal once again? Using innocent lives to do your bidding? That is far worse than what we do,” she jeered. 

 

“Soulless -”

 

“No, you’re the one without a soul,” she interrupted with a sneer. “If we didn’t have souls, we wouldn’t love. No, I have love in my life and I have family. If that isn’t love, I don’t know what is.” She turned to look at me. “Show him?” 

 

I understood what she wanted and sent the boy a dose of what Isabella and I felt for each other. Almost immediately, his crazy gold eyes filled with thick amount of venom. 

 

“Wha... what was that?” he asked as he started to shake uncontrollably. 

 

“That is what Isabella and I feel for each other. That was only a quick and diluted dose too. You don’t deserve to feel the enormity of what we share, nor could you handle it,” I said and smiled at Isabella. 

 

Eddie was confused and I could feel it. “That is impossible! You’re not supposed to feel that. It has to be a manipulated, a lie!” he blurted out and darted his eyes all over the place.

 

“No, it isn’t a lie and he’s right. Whatever he showed you would never compare to what you and I had back in high school. That was puppy love, a crush; nothing more. What Jasper and I feel with each other is real. It is strong and forever,” she said. “You had this delusional vision of love and Bella… Well, Bella is no longer alive and you will never have love like this. You know why?” 

 

He looked up and shook his head. “But you and I... mates,” he choked out. 

 

“Never mates,” she said. “You will never love this strong because you never allowed yourself. You scoff over what it means to be a vampire. You’re so full of self-loathing and self-hate that you have no room to love this strong. No, I feel sorry for you, Edward Cullen.” 

 

She looked at the Kings. “I’ve made my decision. I have decided he isn’t _worth_ my time anymore to destroy. I...” she began and then looked at me. “I mean, we, have closure. We will move on. If he wants to die, it will be in his own hands but I’ll gladly light a pyre for him.” 

 

She turned and ran into the jungle. The sounds of trees and branches snappin’ filled the air and within a few minutes, she had come back with wood and piled it in the middle of the concrete runway. 

 

She dug into her pocket for an incendiary device as I ran up to her and tossed her my Zippo. She caught it and sent me her appreciation and love as she lit the pile on fire. 

 

“Here you go, Edward. Be my guest if you’re so insistent on killing yourself,” she goaded and walked in front of him. Isabella pushed her outer shield at him and launched him into the air. When he landed, he was 6 feet away from the fire. She gave him one more look and then she turned to the kings. “If he wants to kill himself, let him. I wash my hands clean of Edward Cullen.” 

 

Aro looked over at Edward as he was sprawled on the floor starin’ at the flames. “Whitlock, what do you feel from him?” he asked. 

 

“Not much, he seems conflicted. He keeps waverin’ on what he really wants to do and I’m guessin’ what he believes he should do. You know his convictions,” I said. 

 

“Is fire a much better way to eternal damnation or will being a vampire be more so?” Edward said out loud as he stared into the flames. “Will I be saved and reunited with my family?”

 

Every single one of us watched in silence at the self destruction of Edward Cullen. He was like a fuckin’ train wreck as he continued to gaze into the fire, deep in thought. Every few minutes he’d start ramblin’ about ‘damnation, salvation and eternity,’ as his emotions shuffled so fast that I was feeling slightly dizzy from it all. 

 

After a good 10 minutes of his debate he had with himself, desperation set in. He let out a crazy cry and managed to fling his entire body into the flames.

 

The crowd sat silent for a few minutes as the enormity of what happened slowly started to sink in. Nobody tried to stop him as he screamed. His mind kept flashing through a plethora of emotions as more and more of his open wounds flared. 

 

His words became more and more incoherent and garbled as more plumes of purple smoke rose into the air. After a couple more minutes, his feelings completely stopped and I squeezed Isabella’s hand. 

 

“Let’s go, it’s over,” I said and kissed her hair. 

 

As we started to disperse, I felt my brother and sister around the two of us and together they pulled us into hugs. 

 

The Kings turned around and left with Renata and Alec while everybody else gathered their belongings and prepared to leave. 

 

“We’ll make sure he’s completely burned before we leave. We'll also make sure we don't leave evidence of any of this,” Serena said as we passed her. 

 

“Thank you,” I replied. “Thanks for all you’ve done.” 

 

“Come on, Major,” Peter said quietly. “Let’s get you and Cookie home. After what you’ve been through, you two need some alone time and lord fuckin’ knows we do too. You sit in the back I’ll drive us all back.”

 

I sent him my appreciation as the four of us walked towards my truck.

 

I turned to look once more at the concrete runway and felt as though I was finally leaving the bad things in my past behind. 


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30**

 

_**SONGS:** _

_**River Styx – Black Rebel Motorcycle Club** _

_**Barton Hollow – The Civil Wars** _

 

 

 

**JPOV**

 

 

The first part of the ride back was fairly quiet as I held Isabella while Peter and Char snuggled up front. I could feel the concern and pride they were feeling for me. 

 

“Were you alright feelin’ those emotions again?” Peter asked, breaking the silence as he looked at me through the rear-view mirror.

 

I felt Isabella’s gratitude for my siblings’ genuine concern over my wellbein’ and decided to project her feelings out to them.

 

“What was that?” Char asked with surprised look on her face.

 

“Babe, I hope you don’t mind, but I gave them just a taste of the gratitude you were givin’ out,” I said as I ran my fingers through her hair.

 

She smiled. “No, of course I don’t mind. Words just cannot express what I feel. I am just so grateful for you two being here and always watching out for him,” she said and looked into my eyes. The telltale shimmer of venomous tears covered her eyes and I pulled her even closer to me.

 

“To answer your question Peter, I was fine. It was like a weight I didn’t even realize I was carrying was lifted off my shoulders after I unleashed my rage on Maria. I felt much better afterwards, plus it helped that I was constantly sendin’ Isabella my feelings for her and I felt hers for me, so it helped ground me.”

 

Isabella smiled and her hand brushed against the back of my neck before she wrapped her arms around me and kissed me. “Did you make her cry? I didn’t think that was possible,” she said quietly.

 

“Never seen that before either,” Peter muttered. “That was some crazy shit. I won’t even start with that animal drinkin’ former brother of yours either, goddamn drama queen.” Char turned and nodded in agreement.

 

“I’ve never seen it either. It was as though all the emotions I sendin’ her overflowed and she started to leak venom,” I hypothesized. “I can’t even begin to think about the whole destruction of Eddie.”

 

“Yeah, remind me never to get on your fuckin’ badass, side, Major,” Peter mumbled and turned onto the highway that lead us back home. “Hey, do we need to be at Volterra? If we do, I don’t mind, but if not, we’d like to head home for a few days.”

 

“It shouldn’t be a problem. You still got the video conference stuff back at the ranch? Why don’t y’all be on standby just in case?” I suggested.

 

“Yeah, we’ll take the Stang so it’ll be no problem,” Peter responded with a grin.

 

“Will you guys be back?” Isabella asked with concern.

 

“Cookie, we will. Any particular reason why?” Char asked, snickering.

 

“Well, maybe,” Isabella deadpanned. “Come back no later than a week after we get back from Volterra. I am not sure of the exact date yet because it is rainy season.”

 

“Oh, we’ll be there; it ain’t everyday that the Major gets hitched,” Peter drawled out and laughed.

 

I reached over and punched him on the arm and laughed as he started cussin’ up a storm.

 

The rest of the ride was quiet again. As we got closer to town, the pouring rain had created potholes and flash flood like conditions. Abandoned cars littered the flooded areas of the highway, causing us to slow down to avoid the curious eyes of any humans out on the roads. It was the same story each season when the rains started but the heavy days of rain would be followed by milder sunny weather for the next few days and then the cycle would start all over again.

 

Ten minutes later, Peter sped up the mountain road. He was excited about goin’ back to Texas for a few days with Char and as soon as the motor stopped, they ran out of the truck and with a quick hug goodbye, they raced off. I shook my head and chuckled as I saw their tail lights disappearin’ down the road.

 

The rain stopped as we stood there. Isabella’s arms wrapped around my waist and I felt her head pressed up against my back. I felt her love and then I felt flashes of anger and possessiveness. 

 

“Isabella?” I asked.

 

“I still smell her venom. It’s all over you. At first I thought it was because we were out in the field and then later because we all touched her today, but I can still smell her, even more strongly with the rain,” she growled.

 

I slowly turned around and looked at her; there was fire in her eyes as she looked at me and pushed me back into the garage. She used her shield to pin me against the wall as she continued to run her nose along my chest. I was turned on by it as her hands were on the waistband of my fatigue pants. In the span of a breath, she had torn them clean off as she ran her hands up my legs.

 

“Better but not quite,” she said quietly as she grabbed a hold of my shirt and shredded the damn thing off of me, leaving me naked with the exception of my combat boots. “Much better,” she whispered as she ran her tongue down my chest.

 

I wanted to touch her, to tear her own clothes off and feel her body pressed up against mine. I wanted to bury myself deep in her and feel her walls clenchin’ around me as I fucked her against the wall, but I was stuck, pinned against her damn shield as she continued to tease me with her tongue.

 

“Isabella,” I groaned as she licked my thigh and dragged her nails lightly down the back of my legs.

 

She sat back on her heels and looked up at me before she grabbed my cock and ran her wicked tongue from the base all the way to the tip.

 

_Oh fuck..._

 

She slowly licked her lips before smirkin’ at me as she wrapped her lips around me and inched her way slowly up. I was glad there was no such thing as a gag reflex for vampires. Fuck, I wanted to grab her hair as she continued to suck my cock but I couldn’t. I had to do something to distract her so I shot her a huge dose of lust and watched as she trembled and shook while she held onto my legs.

 

“I think we need to take this out of the garage,” Isabella whispered huskily as she looked up at me. I felt her shield dissipate as she took my hand. “Come on, Whitlock.”

 

“Yes ma’am,” I replied as we headed to the elevator.

 

When we got in, I turned tables on her and pushed her against the elevator wall as I tore her top off and licked her neck. She whimpered and her eyes got darker as I pressed against her. When the elevator door opened, she once again used her shield to push me out and into the courtyard before she tackled me to the ground. I was no longer pinned by her shield as we rolled around the courtyard ground. Her clothes and my boots were torn and ripped to shreds as our lust and desire swirled around us.

 

I pulled her down onto me and kissed her hard. Warm rain started to fall again, drawing out the scent of her arousal. I took a deep breath and growled as I licked the new scar on her shoulder. I could still taste my venom on her skin. I slowed down, realizin’ how close things became earlier today, and took my time touchin’ and lovin’ her. I kissed her shoulder and ran my finger tips along the scar. As much as it scared me, it also made me proud that I was able to help heal her with my venom.

 

“Jasper,” she whispered against my neck and ground her hips against me.

 

“So fuckin’ beautiful,” I replied and ran my tongue down her collarbone. I sat up, pullin’ her to me so she straddled my lap.

 

“I need you,” she moaned as my hands caressed down her sides and up her back.

 

Her nipples hardened when I dragged my nails lightly over them and once again, she rolled her hips against me. She was so wet. My hands trailed down her ribcage and waist before they rested on her hips. She reached down and grabbed my cock. I hissed as she wrapped her hand around me and ran her thumb across the sensitive head. My hands gripped tighter on her hips and her name left my lips breathlessly as I watched her reach up and lick the fluid that she captured on her thumb.

 

She bent down and kissed my neck and collarbone, her tongue tasting my skin as she moaned again before sitting back up. She lifted herself off of me and grabbed me once more, running my tip along her wet slit, and I moaned at the sensation. I watched as my siren bit that bottom lip of hers as she lowered herself on me, completely sheathing me in her tight pussy.

 

She rocked her hips against me slowly before she bent down and captured my lips with hers, our tongues dueling in that endless pleasurable battle. My hands caressed her back as she ran her hands down my chest. I rolled her over as we continued our kiss.

 

“You feel so good,” I murmured in between kisses as I hooked my arm under her leg and brought it up to my shoulder.

 

“Oh... yes!” she cried out and arched her back. I trust into her a few times before she rolled us back around and I sat up, pullin’ her tight against me. My hands once again settled on her hips.

 

“Fuck! Jasper!” she panted and growled.

 

Just as we built up our passion into a near frenzy, I slowed the pace down as I lavished her with kisses and caresses, pulling us both back from the edge of that precipice. We both weren’t ready just yet; the constant change in pace was maddening but we were both enjoyin’ it. Our growls and moans filled the air as we continued to roll around in the courtyard.

 

Before long, I felt her walls flutterin’ and I could feel she was desperate for release and it spurred me on as I dug my fingers into her hips and moved a little faster.

 

Her eyes darkened as she held me closer. “Fuck me harder!” she cried out and I growled against her neck.

 

“You like it when I fuck you hard?” I whispered gruffly as I continued liftin’ her up and down on me.

 

“Yes! So good! Fucking good!” she moaned and tossed her head back, exposin’ her neck to me.

 

I ran my tongue down the column of her throat and then down her collarbone to her wounded shoulder before I traced the left side of her collarbone and shoulder. I rolled us over so she was on the ground, never missin’ a beat of our fast, rhythmic pace.

 

“God, yes!” she said and brought my head right to the area just above where her heart used to beat. “Bite! Please!” she pleaded as her walls tightened around me. She was so fuckin’ close and she wanted me to mark her again.

 

“Isabella!” I growled as I felt the venom poolin’ in my mouth.

 

“Please! Yes!”

 

I bit down and she hissed loudly before the pleasure took over once again. Her legs clenched my torso tight and she arched her back like a bow as she screamed my name into the sky. Her walls tightened even more as she completely shattered underneath me. Her body shook and her inner walls started pulsin’ and I followed her soon after.

 

We laid there as we caught our breath, still connected as I sealed and kissed her new bite mark. Her fingers toyed with my hair as we continued to lie on the ground.

 

I ran my finger against her jaw and her eyes met mine.

 

“That was... wow,” she whispered.

 

“It was... fuckin’ amazing,” I replied. “Are you alright? That bite must have hurt more than the ones on your neck.”

 

She touched my face and whispered, “It hurt just a little more at first but the pleasure overrode that quickly. I just had that urge and desire to have you mark me tonight.” I felt some confusion and nervousness comin’ from her. “Did you like it?”

 

“Fuck, Isabella, I loved that. It was so fuckin’ sexy. I didn’t want you to hurt after what happened,” I explained as I traced the silvery scar over her heart. “As far as wantin’ it, don’t feel bad. Remember when I gave you your ring? You bit me that night and I wanted you to. l fuckin’ loved it as well. It is a part of who we are. Besides, we went through a ton of fuckin’ emotions today with the battle and shit.” I kissed her lips and sent her my love. “It is like adrenaline but on overdrive and steroids, and we both saw stuff that we needed a release from. I am also guessing me tellin’ you how fuckin’ scared I was about losin’ you, well, your demon probably wanted me to claim you to make sure as hell I knew you were still here.”

 

“I did feel her rattling her cage earlier,” she admitted and shyly looked at me through her lashes. “I just never had that feeling before, not that intensely, without blood.”

 

“It is a by-product of battle; it becomes as intense as blood lust, sometimes even more,” I said and kissed her lips gently and softly. “My guess, the guards tonight will either be drinkin’ up a storm or some other type of indulgence.” I ran my hand down her arm, takin’ her hand into mine. “You also saw a side of me I had kept far away for the longest time,” I whispered to her. “Thank you for groundin’ me, darlin’. You don’t know how much you fuckin’ saved me from fallin’ into the abyss of my emotions. I felt your constant love the whole time and it kept me centered.”

 

She let out a low whistle, “My badass cowboy,” she whispered and kissed the various scars along my neck and shoulder before runnin’ her tongue over the first one she gave me and then the one she gave on the bike. I purred at the sensation and held her tighter. “You are my world and I’ll do anything to keep you safe just as I know you will do the same for me, future husband of mine.”

 

We held each other for the next few hours. Most of the bullshit was over and I felt like I had some closure. We both did and we could comfortably move on. 

 

“Darlin’, it is nearly dawn,” I said as the sky started to lighten up just slightly as I sat up and pulled her to my arms.

 

“Fuck, we ruined the courtyard,” she muttered and laughed. I looked around and saw giant craters, uprooted plants and overturned earth. 

 

“Well worth it,” I said and kissed her hair.

 

“Believe me, I wasn’t complaining,” she said as we got up. “Hey, were Peter and Char alright?”

 

I nodded as we headed into our house to grab a quick shower before greetin’ her dad once again. “Yeah, their weddin’ anniversary was last week so I think they just wanted some quiet time at their farm.” I threw her over my shoulder. “Come on, let’s get the mud and grass off of us so we can look somewhat decent as we greet your dad.”

 

We got all cleaned up in no time and headed outside to sit under some shade trees as we greeted her dad. I knew from her emotions as we sat there that she was holdin’ a different conversation with him than she ever had before. My guess was she replayed the battle for him in her mind. 

 

Her unwaverin’ love was always there, but for the first time, her love for me surpassed the love she had for her father. It wasn’t to say she felt any less and it wasn’t because her love for her father was a human emotion either. No, it was more like, she felt more for me; it was similar to what I felt for her: home. We had experienced a battle together. We had seen each other at our most vulnerable and it was profound. War changed people and for us, it made us stronger and maybe even for devoted to each other, if that was even possible.

 

War was the reason I had a close relationship with Peter and Char. They were there for me. We fought together for a common cause and when that cause didn’t include them anymore as a team, I let them go. My venom had brought Peter into this life, and then his brought Char, but it was war that made us who we were and how we are today. 

 

I knew the battle was going to be different but I had no idea how much surreal it would be to have my present and future in a battle with the remnants of my past. As I had told her as when we were lyin’ on the courtyard, I was scared that I would fall into the dark, evil void of Maria had it not been for Isabella’s love. My demon was under control as I destroyed her. I probably could have done so without even touchin’ her as I broke her with all the crippling emotions I carried. 

 

The lavender, amber and brandy scent of Isabella brought me out of my thoughts as the sun started settin’ over the mountain top. I breathed her in once again and smiled. We had spent the whole day up here without worryin’ about phone calls or anything. In fact, I think our phones were still inside the truck. 

 

“You were a little lost in thought there, cowboy,” Isabella said as she ran her hands down my chest. 

 

“I was just thinkin’ of us, the battle, and my past,” I said. “Mostly about how war changes the way we feel and look at the world.” I held her close and brushed my fingers through her hair. 

 

“That is quite profound,” she murmured as she trailed kisses along my neck. “I can see that. I don’t know how you were able to be a soldier for so long and were still able to change for the better. You’re one helluva man and I’m fucking proud of you, Jasper Whitlock,” she said with conviction. 

 

“Isabella, I’m so fuckin’ glad you showed up in my life the way you did,” I whispered as I lifted her head, smiling as I saw the same emotions I was feeling mirrored in her eyes. “You’ve made me a much better man, so thank you.” 

 

“And you’ve made me a better woman,” she replied and looked out to the sunset. “It was nice to get a relatively sunny day today to just relax and just be. You and me, under the shady tree... we needed this downtime.” She sighed and looked back at me. “We need to get to Volterra sometime tomorrow, I guess.”

 

I sensed some hesitation comin’ off of her and sent her some calm. “Talk to me, babe.”

 

She gave me a wry smile. “You know, we never got around to asking the Kings about me and my commitment with them for the next five years or so,” she said. “All that stuff about Phoenix, Edward, Maria... it just got pushed aside.” She sighed. “I am so fucking glad that is behind us now.” 

 

“I know and we’ll make sure to talk to them about that. Just remember, I’ll go wherever you go,” I said and tenderly kissed her lips. “Hey, if we get there a little earlier, I’d like to do schedule a debriefing of our battle since we didn’t get a chance to yesterday. I can get on the horn with Peter and make sure he can conference in,” I said and I felt her apprehension fade slightly.

 

“Sounds great. We can leave tonight then, I guess. If we’re going to fly in the metal tube shortly, can we grab some meals first?” Isabella asked.

 

“I could use a bite,” I said and chuckled. “Metal tube? I have gotten little undercurrents of uneasiness when we’ve flown. Was it phobia you had as a human?” 

 

“No,” she began and paused as I felt her tryin’ to remember. “As a kid, I think I used to fly to see my dad almost regularly. They always smelled funny even back then and now with our noses, commercial planes smell horrible.” She wrinkled her nose at the thought. “Humans packed for long flights like that isn’t always a fun thing.” 

 

I laughed and shuddered. “Why do you think I bought myself a plane?” I said and stood up, pulling her to her feet. 

 

“Point taken,” she said. “No, I am not afraid of flying. I just don’t like being stuck up there in a metal tube which is why I pack the blood bags. You help distract me from that and now that you’re teaching me to fly, which is a lot more fun.” 

 

I picked her up and tossed her over my shoulder as we headed back into the house. “We’ll get some meals in a few hours. In the meantime, let’s plan for the trip to Volterra.”

 

We packed a few things for the trip and I went back to the garage to grab our phones. I couldn’t help but chuckle when I passed through the courtyard; we sure did a number on the ground during our escapade. I was still laughin’ when I came back in the house and Isabella looked at me curiously. 

 

“I just passed by the courtyard as I got our phones,” I said as I set them aside. 

 

“We left a pretty big trail of destruction, didn’t we?” she asked and laughed before wrappin’ her arms around me. “Mmm, I enjoyed every wild minute of it too.” 

 

“Really?” I raised my eyebrows as I teased her. “I couldn’t tell.” 

 

“No, you’re right, I was so bored,” she deadpanned and then laughed when I smacked her ass for that. 

 

She stood on her toes to kiss my nose. “Our bags are packed. I’m going into the War Room to check on messages. I doubt there will be anything though.” 

 

“Sounds good, I’ll give Peter a call and I’ll be in, in a few,” I said and kissed her lips. 

 

As soon as the pneumatic door shut in the War Room, I sat down and phoned my brother.

 

“How’s it hangin’, Major?” Peter said with a chuckle. 

 

“I got your crazy ass text,” I said with exasperation. “What do you mean by ‘78 PT Cruisers are in a circle’?

 

“Well hello to you major,” Peter responded. “What do you think it means?”

 

I rolled my eyes and growled low, “I don’t have time for your silly riddles. What the hell are you talkin’ about?”

 

“I would have thought you of all people would have guessed since you’ve been to school so many fuckin’ times,” he jeered before sighin’. “Fine, you spoil my fun. Picture comin’.” 

 

A minute later, my phone vibrated, indicatin’ I had a text message. I looked at it and it was a dainty, silver toned ring. But it couldn’t be silver...

 

I sighed as I got back on the phone. “You caught me- 78 is the atomic number for platinum,” I responded and rolled my eyes. “Well played, bro.” I snorted and shook my head.

 

“Ding, ding! Winnah!” he barked out. “It’s for you to give to Cookie.”

 

“Okay,” I said and wondered where this was leadin’. I knew her ring size and all, so I wasn’t sure why this piece was so special. I easily could have gotten something on our trip to Italy. 

 

“That ring came from an antique shop in Houston. Char and I stopped here on the way home,” he said. “I had a snapshot of it durin’ our drive back and when I told the missus, she agreed that we had to get it for you.”

 

“What makes this ring so special?” I asked.

 

“I’m getting to that. That ring was purchased from a recent estate sale. The ring is circa 1920s and belonged to a Martha Davis who just so happened to be your baby sister Abigail’s daughter. She was your niece.”

 

“You must be mistaken, Peter. As much as I have hazy memories of my human life, I don’t remember havin’ a sister. I had a brother, Wade, but I didn’t have a sister.”

 

“Major, she was what they’d call today an ‘oops’ baby. It is all in the family bible that was also in the estate sale that I got for you,” he said quietly. 

 

“Really?” I was shocked. “Fuck... thanks bro, I don’t know what to say.”

 

“Just marry Cookie, and don’t be a damn stranger is all Char and I want,” he replied. 

 

“Has it been sized? Char knows her ring size if it hasn’t been done already,” I said. I was still in a little shock but I was excited about the news. 

 

“All taken care of. We’ll be back in a week.”

 

I let him know about the debriefing I wanted to schedule and ended the conversation. I headed into the War Room where Isabella was answering some emails. I sent her a dose of my love as I spun her around her chair and held her tight. 

 

“I love you, so fuckin’ much,” I mumbled against her hair. 

 

“I fucking love you, Jasper. Are you alright?” she asked and ran her fingers through my hair. 

 

I lifted her chin and kissed her lips. “I’m fine. I can’t fuckin’ wait make you my wife,” I said and smiled. “Come on, let’s get fed and we can leave soon after. I’ll get them to pull the plane into the hanger so we can load up when we get there.”

 

We were back from dinner after a couple hours. It was a while before Isabella and I found the two human traffickers that were lurkin’ in a dark corner of the second bar we hit. It wasn’t hard to lure them out to the back of the building. All it took was a seductive glance from Isabella and the two men were pretty much putty. Her tight jeans, low cut shirt that revealed my newest mark peekin’ through and fuckin’ high heel boots didn’t hurt either. 

 

We showered and got changed after we got back before we loaded up the truck. The airport had our plane ready for us and once we got there, all we needed to do was get the flight plan filed and our stuff loaded up. We didn’t pack a whole bunch of blood bags for the flight this time, havin’ just had dinner. 

 

Isabella sent a message to Volterra usin’ our secure lines before takeoff. 

 

“Here, babe,” I said and handed her an envelope as she sat next to me in the cockpit. 

 

“What is it?” she asked as she turned the envelope before opening it. I watched out of the corner of my eye as she read it. She was confused at first as she read it then shocked and finally happy. She wrapped her arms around me and grinned. 

 

“Pilot license?” she squealed. “Didn’t I need an instructor or something?” 

 

“Jasper Whitlock, certified flight instructor ma’am,” I teased and gave her a mock salute. “Normally, you’d have to take exams and shit but I think, as your instructor, you’re good. Besides, I think with your recall memory, you’d be able to pass the exams with flyin’ colors. I’ve listed you as the pilot for tonight so you’ll be in control but don’t worry, I’m right next to you,” I added as I felt her nervousness creep through. 

 

I gave her the necessary instruction as we taxied down the runway and she easily got the plane off the ground. I watched as she listened to the tower for instructions and responded to them like a pro.

 

“I’m so proud of you,” I said as I brought her a blood bag a few hours later. We had gotten caught in a pocket of turbulence and she did great in controllin’ the aircraft, although I could tell it rattled her a little.   


“Thanks, can you take over?” she asked and I pulled her to sit between my legs as I took control. “I know I shouldn’t be nervous but it was a little too much, you know?” She looked at me and brought the blood bag she was sippin’ on up to me. 

 

I kissed her hair before I reached over to take a sip. “The first time I landed in Iceland, I nearly skidded off the runway. It was so fuckin’ icy and I panicked,” I explained as I rubbed her back and sent her my Isabella cocktail. “It was some sort of family trip the Cullens wanted to have. Fuck it all, if Esme didn’t scream fuckin’ bloody murder as I tried to maintain control of things. With her emotions added to mine, I nearly broke the steering column.” 

 

She laughed, “A vampire family vacation?” She shook her head. “Hey, are you alright with what I did with Edward?”

 

“Babe, he was beyond batshit crazy. You saw that and heard that. No, that boy probably would have ended himself that way or at one point or another. You had a good point about the self-hatred he had; that led to his demise, not us, not the Volturi.”

 

“Thank you, for explaining. I thought that was the case. It was just utterly pathetic that he took that route but if he was going to do that regardless, well, good riddance.” There was no remorse comin’ off her and I kissed her hard.

 

A few minutes later, we started our descent and all other conversations were set aside. She landed the plane with very little supervision from me and we taxied over to the Volturi hanger. I sent her my pride as the aircraft came to a stop and we opened the doors to allow the immigration agent in to check our paperwork. She didn’t bother with her cloak this time as we saw Heidi waiting for us in a tinted SUV. It was a lot less formal than the last trip to Volterra.

 

“You guys are early,” Heidi said as she greeted us both with hugs. “Come on, we were able to get the same villa you had last time, is that alright?”

 

“Sure,” Isabella said and I nodded in agreement. “Where’s Voodoo?”

 

“Prison duty,” Heidi explained. “Xavier had a choice between working in the dungeons or a castle servant and he’s more comfortable working in the dungeons. She’s sort of taken him under her wing and makes sure he’s safe when he’s down there cleaning or bringing food. She’ll be at the meeting though.” 

 

“Did his memories get wiped?” I asked.

 

“Yeah, it was the weirdest thing too,” Heidi replied. “We had to wait until Jorge’s arms were healed so it was done inside V-One as we loaded up. He touched his head with both hands and Xavier’s eyes got cloudy. After a few minutes, he collapsed. He literally fainted. When he came to, he had no memory so Jane and Alec had been told that he needed to be bonded to us immediately, which Chelsea did.” 

 

“Whoa, that must have been freaky to see,” Isabella muttered under her breath as I helped her into the car and threw our bags into the back seat next to me. 

 

Heidi got in the car and drove off. “Yeah, we were all watching in silence but it was good. Jorge seems lucid, I guess. He keeps to himself for the most part.”

 

The rest of the car ride to Volterra was full of laughter as Heidi started to tell me stories of Isabella and her turkey incident only to have her mouth forcibly shut by Isabella. 

 

When we got there, she walked with us into the castle. “We set up the library as the makeshift meeting area,” she explained. “I believe Alec and Jane set the conference line up too, so Gunpowder and Peter are online, and so are Serena and her folks.” 

 

We walked into room where the Guards all gathered. Appreciation and awe flooded me as I greeted everybody. Against the far wall, images of Peter and Char and Serena’s team appeared via teleconference. 

 

“We’ll keep it short. I just want to let y’all know you did great and thank you for all your efforts. Each of you helped tremendously and for that, I wanted to see if there were any questions or concerns from the battle,” I said. “Let’s just keep this informal and relaxed.” 

 

We spent the next half hour goin’ through questions. Most of them were from the Guards, who were curious as to what I had been feelin’ during the battle, more specifically, with Maria. I gave them a quick overview of what happened and was again met with awe. Alec came up to shake my hand and said the Kings were beyond pleased with the battle since we only sustained relatively minor injuries from it. 

 

As we were exiting the room, there was some commotion comin’ from the throne room and everybody ran in. I grabbed Isabella’s hand as we headed in there. I felt strong pain and anger from inside as we all flooded into the room. 

 

There in front of us were the Kings. Broken bodies were burning in the middle of the room, and the smoke was being pulled up to the sky by what seemed to be an exhaust system. 

 

Caius looked up at all of us and pointed at the pyre. “Mario and Jorge,” he said. “Jorge begged for death after Aro read his memories once again and Jorge completed his written confession. We were hesitant in granting it to him but he grabbed Mario, tore him apart and set him on fire. Renata, Pierre and Heidi had no choice but to return the favor.” 

 

I sent calm to the entire room and the kings in return sent their appreciation back. 

 

“There wasn’t anything that compelling that we would thought would warrant death. I guess he wasn’t cut out for this life as his memories and confession indicated,” Aro explained to us. “He held a lot of guilt from what he wrote.” He pointed to a journal on the stone table. “He blamed himself for Victoria’s death, Serge and even Maria being involved in Phoenix. By the way, he said the name was a tribute to her Alice as a way of making sure her memories were kept alive after the fire.” He paced around for a few minutes. “I am just not quite sure where that guilt stemmed from. Perhaps it was from his human life as a monk. Regardless, the trial will not be taking place. Guards, for your sterling efforts, we grant you 72-hours leave, but please coordinate amongst yourselves.” 

 

The Kings stood up and headed out. 

 

Jane came up to us as the crowd dispersed and smiled. “Have you gone to the villa yet? You can probably borrow one of the SUVs in the barn, I’m sure nobody would mind,” she said. “By the way, you both have a special meeting with the Kings tomorrow. It would have been an hour prior to the formal trial but...” She pointed to the pile of ash and smoke. “Come on, let’s get you a car and get you settled in.” 

 


	31. Chapter 31

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this is the final full chapter of Bound in Blood. Readers, thank you so much for reading – I had a blast writing this story as well as sharing with y’all. 
> 
> Many thanks to my beta, HeavyInfinity – she came in part way into the story and offered to help beta this. Thanks for indulging in my crazy once a week posting. I really appreciate it. JaspersWoman who wanted to kidnap this chapter and not return it – you’ve been really helpful in pre-reading – I really appreciate it hun. Lastly, DarkNNerdy – you’ve encouraged me and we probably spent one night going through details in this chapter. Thanks wify!!!
> 
> I don’t own the story – I just had a blast with the characters.

**Chapter 30**

 

_**SONGS:** _

_**Alison Krauss – When You Say Nothing at All** _

_**Shania Twain – From this Moment On** _

 

 

 

**BPOV**

 

“Babe, you’re gonna wear a groove on the floor, pacin’ like that,” Jasper said. He was sitting on the couch and was watching me as I made my fifteenth lap across the hallway.

 

“I can’t help it,” I said as I stopped. “I’m nervous about the meeting.” 

 

He came up to me immediately and took me in his arms, carrying me over to the couch. “Now, remember what I said about where you go, I go?” he asked and I nodded, looking into his eyes. “I meant it. You and me, Isabella, forever. I promise you.” 

 

I felt his calming cocktail hit me again as he’s had to do in the past few hours since we left Volterra earlier. I knew what he said was true, but still, I was still nervous as hell as to what could happen. I was being irrational and a part of me knew it. “I know, I’m being silly,” I said as I rested my head on his shoulders. “What if they need us elsewhere? I just... I just have grown so fond of where we live right now. I wouldn’t want you to get rid of the mountain home on account of me.” 

 

“Hey,” he said and kissed my hair. “Home is with you. Besides, I wouldn’t get rid of the mountain home. it’ll always be ours, no matter what.” 

 

I let out a breath I had no idea I had been holding and smiled. “You’re right,” I said and saw the clock over in the kitchen. It was nearly time. I shut my eyes and breathed in Jasper’s scent. 

 

_Home._

 

I opened my eyes and took a deep breath. “Okay, let me grab my cloak and let’s do this,” I said, determined to get this over with. Whatever happened, Jasper vowed he would be there with me. 

 

The drive to Volterra was quiet as I kept my hands folded on top of my cloak and Jasper wrapped his arm around my shoulder, pulling me close to him. When we got there, we pulled into a spot reserved for the SUVs and I pulled on my cloak. Jane was waiting for us when we got inside the barn and together we walked to the throne room. When we got to the door, she gave us both a hug and said she had to go back to the dungeons to watch over Xavier. She explained the reason she had taken him under her wing was because he reminded both her and Alec of their brother from when they were human.

 

The Kings met us at the door and invited us in. The stone table in front of them had chairs and Marcus motioned for us to take a seat. Once seated, I reached over and took a hold of Jasper’s hand on his lap. The Kings sat down in front of us and smiled. 

 

“First, I wanted to say thank you, Whitlock,” Caius began. “Your efforts helped disband and destroy the Phoenix cartel and for that, per our arrangement, we’ve wired the funds to your offshore account in the Cayman Islands, including a bonus… a token of our appreciation if you will.”

 

“For capturing Victoria’s killer,” Aro clarified. “And for bringing her head to us.”

 

“Or, you can even consider it a wedding gift,” Marcus interjected and smiled at us. “Thank you for giving me closure.”

 

“Thank you, once again,” Jasper said. “It was one of the most enjoyable missions I’ve been a part of.” I felt his love enveloping me as he gave my hand a squeeze. 

 

“Now, onto business and the reason for the meeting,” Aro said as he looked at the two of us and grinned. “Isabella, I know you’re probably concerned about your status with the Elite Guard now that you’ve been reassigned to the Western Hemisphere. I...” Aro paused and looked at his brothers. “We want to let you know, your assignment will be for 5 years and 3 months. At that time, your decade commitment to the Volturi expires and you’re more than welcome to extend your time with us or you could, if you’d like, follow the footsteps of your future husband and be a consultant?” 

 

I looked at them with my mouth open. “I... I don’t know what to say right now,” I stuttered out.

 

Marcus held his hand up. “No need to make the decision now. We have been more than pleased with your time here at Volterra, Isabella. We’ll welcome your decision when the time comes. The three of us hope you’ll still remain with us in some capacity afterwards. We hope both of you will.” 

 

“Until then, you are our eyes and ears for the Western Hemisphere,” Caius said. “Over the next year, we plan to transition part of Serena’s team back to Europe. Demetri and Gianna have intel that indicates the Russian mob is growing and taking advantage of the civil unrest going on in parts of the country. With the size of that land, we anticipate they will be having a difficult time keeping up with all their activities on their own so we’re considering splitting the field team. It might mean you’ll be required to travel to different cities and do some surveillance work on your own occasionally, depending on the workload. You wouldn’t be split from each other, but you might be taking overnight trips to various areas in the Western Hemisphere. We have every confidence you’ll both do a fine job.”

 

“I... thank you,” I whispered. “I didn’t expect that at all. I was afraid that I’d be put on other assignments,” I admitted. 

 

Marcus chuckled. “After what you’ve done with Phoenix and all? No, we’re all very pleased that you’ll be in charge of the Western Hemisphere. We entrust the both of you to that region,” he said and smiled. “Unless there is more, I think we’re done here. Regardless of what happens, we welcome you both to visit Volterra at anytime. Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials.” 

 

With that, they left the room, leaving Jasper and me sitting there alone. 

 

“See, that was nothin’ to worry about,” he said and kissed my hair. “Come on, let’s get back to the villa.” We both got up and headed back towards the barn. 

 

As we headed out of Volterra and onto the road back to the villa, I looked over at Jasper. “I was surprised they’d do that,” I admitted. 

 

“You were more shocked than surprised,” he teased and gave me a wink. “Remember when I said they were a little in awe and frightened of me when I first met them?” he asked and I nodded. “Well, I had a hunch but it wasn’t really confirmed in my mind until after the Maria incident that they saw me as a close ally, almost an equal. Obviously I’m not royalty or anythin’. They want to keep their alliance and wouldn’t want to overstep their chances, which was why I was almost certain we wouldn’t have a problem with you stayin’ with me. They meant it when they suggested that you take your time to decide.” He took my hand in his as he pressed the keypad to get into the villa’s property.

 

We stayed in Italy for a couple more days before we headed back. I had Heidi run a huge errand for me while I was there. I couldn’t do it myself with Jasper around and I really didn’t want to go to Florence without him. We hung out with Heidi and Jane and they promised to arrange their schedules so they could come visit us in time for our wedding. Heidi agreed to be my maid of honor and Jane said she’d be more than happy to play the violin for us during the ceremony. 

  
They took us to the airport and were looking forward to the trip over the following week. It made me happy to see that Jasper and my sisters all got along and I felt like we were really a family. Jasper sent me his love and wrapped his arms around me when they shared more embarrassing stories about me. I actually didn’t mind it all that much this time because even though some of them were embarrassing as hell, I felt the constant love flowing from Jasper and that was more than worth it. 

 

As we got into the Volturi hanger, we kissed and hugged once more before Jasper took my hand and together we climbed on-board his Gulfstream. 

 

“See you guys next week,” my sisters called out and waved. 

 

“I’ll go to Florence for you later today,” Heidi said and winked. Internally, I groaned and hoped that Jasper didn’t catch any of that. 

 

The doors closed and we were able to taxi out to the runway. 

 

Jasper and I shared the controls this time as we both sat down and put on the headsets. I watched and learned from Jasper as he deftly maneuvered the plane and pressed the controls. He still let me take her up and using some of his techniques, I was able to get her speed up a lot smoother than I did on the trip out and she took off like a charm.

 

“So, what is this thing you and Heidi have goin’?” Jasper asked a couple hours into the flight. We were sipping on our blood bags. It occurred to me that somewhere during the Phoenix mission, we had stopped mixing the blood into the grain alcohol and just drank it straight from the bag. It was simpler and so long as the blood was fresh, it didn’t taste _that_ bad. 

 

“Wedding stuff,” I replied simply. 

 

“Speakin’ of which, have you thought of where and when?”

 

“I have,” I said and smiled at him. “I want to get married at sunrise on our mountain.” 

 

I was lifted out of my seat and was on Jasper’s lap before I finished my thought. We held each other tight as he sent me all his feelings.   
  
“He’ll love that,” he said in a whisper. 

 

“Is that okay?” I asked. 

 

“Oh, Isabella,” he murmured as he brushed his fingertips down my jaw. “I think I had a good idea this whole time where and when it was gonna be. I think I would have been more surprised had you chosen another place and time.

 

“Thank you,” I whispered back feeling overwhelmed but excited. “I love you so fucking much.” 

 

“And I fuckin’ love you.” 

 

The rest of the flight was uneventful and I was glad Jasper didn’t press on about the errand I had asked Heidi to run for me because I wanted it to be a surprise.

 

Once we got back home, we set about redoing the courtyard; our escapade and then the rain storms that followed during our absence had really made the lush garden into nothing more than a giant mud pit. With our family arriving in a few days, we spent an evening planning a new design and then early in the morning, while the sun was still hidden amongst the rain clouds, we loaded his truck with supplies and spent the next couple of days redoing the area so it now included a shaded arbor and different seating areas, along with more native plants. 

 

The arbor could also double as a mini stage anytime Jasper decided to put on a show. When I told him that, I was treated to a few songs that night as he played his acoustic guitar. 

 

The rains were scheduled to stop most of the coming weekend so we planned that would be the ideal time to finally get married. I e-mailed my sisters telling them the date and they responded that they’d be there. The only thing was, they couldn’t stay for much longer than the ceremony. They were using their granted leave time, but they promised they’d come out for a longer stay at a later time. 

 

Peter and Char were scheduled to arrive about the same time. Jasper had asked Peter to be his best man and we both asked if Char could marry us. She was speechless at first, but said that she was more than happy to and that it was an honor. Later, I texted Char to see if she could help me with something for the ceremony and was thrilled that she agreed to my request. 

 

On the night before everybody was going to arrive, we took off into the bar district for meals. Our fun atop his bike had actually busted his shocks and it was currently in the shop for repairs so we took Raven instead. He lured a couple of drug dealers out for us and we shared the meals with each other. Our hands touched each other as we both drank from one man and then the other. 

 

“Thank you for dinner, Jasper,” I said as I wrapped my arm around his waist as we walked out the alleyway after setting the dumpster on fire. 

 

“Anytime, babe,” he said and kissed my hair. “You want a nighttime bike ride before we go back home?” 

 

“That sounds nice; it feels good tonight with the warm air and no rain. Through the jungle?” 

 

“Yes ma’am!” 

 

We took turns steering the bike around the jungle a couple times before we headed home. It was a warm and tranquil night and we both enjoyed being out on the open road, feeling the bike hug each and every turn. It was just the two of us on the road and it felt good wrapped up in each other’s love. By the time we got back home, it was nearly dawn and we headed out to the mountaintop to watch the sunrise. 

 

“ _Daddy, tomorrow’s the big day. I wish you were still here to walk me down the aisle but this is the next best thing. I am really happy now. Jasper’s a good man and I know you would have approved of him. I miss you so much. I love you Daddy.”_

 

Jasper’s arms tightened around me as he saw the tears that coated my eyes. He didn’t say a word but just sent me his special cocktail as we sat there for a while as the sky brightened. We moved away from the mountain’s edge before the sun got too bright and we started to sparkle like a couple glitter balls. 

 

Peter and Char showed up late that afternoon. We had just gotten back from picking up Jasper’s bike at the shop when the Mustang came roaring up the mountain path. 

 

“Major! Cookie!” Peter yelled as he got out of the car and opened the door for Char. “Miss me?” 

 

“Sure I missed your crazy ass,” I said and gave them both a hug. Jasper chuckled as he gave his brother a one armed hug as they brought the bike down from Jasper’s truck. 

 

“Come on, let’s leave the guys to do guys stuff.” Char said and grabbed my hand. “We’ll be in the house.” 

 

The guys looked up and smiled as we headed inside the house and headed into the War Room where I showed her some of the things I’d had Heidi coordinate and why I had needed her help. We laughed and were just giddy about the pictures. That was where Jasper and Peter found us and I quickly shut my computer as soon as I heard the pneumatic door slide open. 

 

I knew Jasper felt I was up to something so I explained that I was showing Char some wedding stuff. I knew I must have been driving him crazy about the planning and he laughed and said it was fun to see me so damn happy. He then said he couldn’t wait either and he had a surprise in store of his own as well. 

 

We all hung out in the courtyard for a while and we told Peter and Char what happened with Jorge when we were at Volterra. I also told them the news that I was assigned to this region until I finished my commitment with the Volturi. They were thrilled and made us promise that we would visit them next year in Texas. Before we knew it, it was sunset and I told them that Heidi and Jane would be arriving shortly. I told the guys that Char and I would meet them at the penthouse and we wouldn’t be back until the ceremony. 

 

I gave Jasper a long slow kiss before we headed out. We both didn’t want to be separated but knowing the next time we saw each other would be at our wedding made it easier. 

 

Char and I hopped in their Mustang and we headed to the penthouse. The rest of the night was filled with laughter and girl talk as my sisters distracted me to keep me from running back up to the mountain to be with Jasper. 

 

“Alright, Riot, time to get dolled up for your man,” Heidi said as soon as I got done with my shower. The four of us spent the next hour primping for the ceremony.

 

“Okay, ready?” I asked as I checked myself one more time in the bathroom before opening the door and walking back into the bedroom. 

 

“Well, let’s see the dress, Cookie,” Char said with a grin as Heidi helped her with her ruby necklace. 

 

My sisters all stared at me as I walked out. Tears started to form in their eyes and I felt the signs of them forming in mine. 

 

“Oh, Cookie, that looks so much like my dress,” Char said and pulled me into a hug. 

 

“I’m glad you didn’t mind me copying the design of it,” I said quietly as I hugged the three of them. 

 

“No, not at all. I like the material too,” she replied. 

 

“It is material from Italy,” I said and looked at Heidi and Jane. “I wanted it to represent my time there and, Char,” I looked over at her, “I loved the way you described your dress so I had Heidi take the idea to one of our Volturi tailors and had it made.”

 

“Let’s see your traditions, you know the old, new, borrowed, and blue,” Jane said excitedly.

 

“Well, my something new is the dress I suppose. The rest... well, that is why I enlisted your help. I figured the three of you could come up with the other three.” 

 

Jane came up and showed me a ribboned choker. “This is your something old,” she said quietly as I sat down on the bed. The stone was crafted in the 16th Century. It was from my home village and I had several pieces made from the same stone years after my turn.” She put the necklace around my neck. “You’ve been a great sister to me and now, because of you, I have another family. I hope you like it, this is yours to keep.” 

 

I looked at it from the mirror. “Oh Jane, thank you. It is beautiful and I love that I could wear it with anything.” We hugged each other and I kissed her cheek. 

 

“My turn,” Heidi said, and grabbed a velvet box from her bag. “This is your borrowed,” she said and strapped the delicate platinum and diamond bracelet onto my wrist. “I’ve had this since my change.” 

 

“Oh, it is beautiful! Thank you for letting me borrow it,” I said as I gave her a kiss on the cheek. 

 

I hugged both Jane and Heidi and helped them with their swan necklaces. I looked around for Char. “Where did she go?” I asked.

 

“She had to grab something from the car,” Heidi said. “I hear the elevator now.” 

 

A minute later, Char appeared with a smile that probably could have rivaled Peter’s. She had something hidden behind her back. 

 

“Since I was in charge of blue, I thought you’d like your bouquet,” she said and revealed a hand-tied ribbon of flowers. “They’re from my garden in Texas. The ribbon was a nice match to your ring.” 

 

“Oh, thank you so much!” I choked out. “All of you gave me something today that meant something for you and I love that.” I hugged them again. “Come on, it is nearly sunrise.” 

 

“Are you forgetting shoes?” Heidi asked.

 

I smiled and shook my head. “Nope, I wanted this to be simple and didn’t want to fuss with high heels or anything.” 

 

We headed downstairs and Char and Jane rode in the Mustang while Heidi took me in her rental Audi R8. 

 

“Do you have the ring?” I asked as I fidgeted around in my seat.

 

“Oh shit!” Heidi exclaimed as she followed Char’s taillights.

 

“What?” I replied in a near shout and suddenly felt dizzy.

 

“I’m joking!” she said and looked over. “Oh my god, you’re nervous! Why? You’re marrying an amazing man, Isabella. He absolutely adores you.”

 

I took a deep, unnecessary breath. “I don’t know why, I just am,” I said and closed my eyes, trying to center myself. “I guess all the pomp and circumstance? Fuck, could you imagine if it was a larger ceremony? Like Demetri and Gianna’s?” 

 

Heidi patted my leg. “Isabella, if you had a ceremony that big, you’d probably be the first vampire to have a heart attack,” she joked and had such a serious expression on her face that I laughed. 

 

“Thank you... for getting the dress and the ring... for everything,” I said quietly. 

 

“Anytime, you know that,” she said and squeezed my hand. “That’s what sisters are for.”

 

We were heading up the mountain road, so no doubt Peter and Jasper would have either heard us by now or gotten word from Char. Heidi’s phone buzzed and she checked it as we neared the garage. 

 

“Okay, Char and Janie will go in first, and we’re to wait five minutes before we follow. Nice digs, by the way. You’ll have to give us a tour next time we’re here. I’m afraid we have to head back this morning.” 

 

I squeezed her hand back. “I know, but you’ll come out to visit and we can go visit you guys too. We’ll always keep in touch.” 

 

“Yes and if not, shield or no shield, Jane and I will kick your ass,” she teased. “Well, five minutes are up, are you ready, Isabella?” 

 

I smiled and nodded. “Yes, I am.” 

 

We both walked into the garage and headed up the elevator. As the doors opened, we could hear Jane playing a violin version of Shania Twain’s ‘From this Moment’. I led her into the house and pointed to the doors leading outside. I could see everybody was already out there, facing direction of the sun. 

 

“Just follow me when I’m half way there,” Heidi whispered and kissed me on my cheek. “You look fucking beautiful.” 

 

As I reached the doorway, I looked up at the sky and smiled as the first rays of sunlight filtered through the clouds. 

 

“ _Daddy? Are you ready? Here I go.”_

 

I felt the warmth of the sun’s rays and imagined that it was my dad beaming with pride as I continued to walk towards Jasper. By now, they were all facing me and I felt his love and pride envelop me. Jasper looked so handsome in his charcoal suit; he had opted not to wear a tie. Peter was right next to him wearing the same thing and he too had a huge smile. Jane was standing next to Char, still playing the violin. When I finally got to the front, I handed Heidi my bouquet and faced Jasper as we held hands. 

 

“Today we are gathered to witness the marriage between Isabella Charles and Jasper Whitlock. From the moment they rediscovered each other, they’ve taken a journey together. A journey filled with love and commitment and trust. One only has to look at them and know they’re both deeply in love with each other. They have decided to forgo traditional vows and have decided to speak from their hearts.” 

 

Char looked at me and nodded slowly. I looked up at Jasper and knew immediately what I wanted to say.

 

I looked up at Jasper and took a breath. “Jasper, I could have quoted a song or a poem to show you how much you mean to me, but instead, my words come straight from my heart. You’re my world, you’re my everything. I never knew so strong and so pure until I found you again. Every time you touch me, I can feel it in my heart and in my soul. In those simple moments, I don’t need words to know that I am yours. Those touches own me. Your words soothe me from within. The look in your eyes takes my breath away because I feel what you’re feeling. I love you, I adore you and I am honored and proud to stand by you as your wife and mate, forever.”

 

The telltale signs of tears prickled behind my eyes but I smiled because of the comfort he was sending me. 

 

Char turned and looked at Jasper. I caught the sheen of tears in her eyes as well. 

 

“Isabella, from the moment I looked into your crimson eyes, my world shifted. It unnerved me at first, but I couldn’t get enough of you. You intoxicated me and captured me and accepted me. I knew before you even said those words that I wanted to be with you forever. It wasn’t just the idea of bein’ mated, it was the love you sent to me. Nobody has ever given me so much of their love and their heart but you did. Your love touched deep into my soul, a soul that I doubted existed until you came along. You’ve awakened me and made me a better man. I promise, Isabella, to love you for all eternity. You have my heart and my soul and my body. I absolutely adore you.” 

 

Char whispered, “And now the rings.” 

 

I turned to Heidi and she handed me the ring that I had commissioned. I took Jasper’s left hand into mine and slowly slid the ring into his finger. “Jasper, this ring binds us in more ways than one. It has been forged with love as a symbol of our bond with each other. I love you, my cowboy.” I kissed the palm of his hand before letting it go. 

 

Jasper turned towards Peter who handed him a small silver ring. He turned back and took my left hand and slowly slid the ring into my finger. “Isabella, this ring is not only a symbol of our commitment to each other but it represents a piece of my human past. Please accept this ring as a token of my eternal, never-ending love for you. I love you so much.” He took my hand up to his lips and gave a lingering kiss before letting it go.

 

We both turned slightly to face Char who had a thicker sheen of tears in her eyes at this point. 

 

“Your dedication to each other is strong and like your rings, they have no end. Jasper and Isabella, you’ve affirmed your love today in front of us. I am now proud to pronounce you husband and wife. Jasper, you may kiss your bride.” 

 

I turned to face Jasper who was absolutely beaming. We both were as he tenderly cupped my face and kissed me. The kiss was wonderful but the feelings that swirled around us took my breath away and it almost felt as though my legs were turned to jelly. We were lost in our own little world until everybody started to clap for us. 

 

As we broke out of our embrace, we were bombarded with hugs and kisses from our family. Jane popped open a bottle of blood and we passed it around. When I asked about it, Jane explained that they were bottled for special occasions such as royal ceremonies and weddings. They had to catch their plane back to Volterra so we walked them down to the car and said our goodbyes. Peter and Char followed, saying that they wanted to give us lovebirds some time alone but would be back sometime the next day. 

 

We waved to our family as they headed down the mountain and watched until their taillights disappeared. Jasper looked down at me and grinned. 

 

“Ready, Mrs. Whitlock?” he asked. 

 

“For you, always, Mr. Whitlock.”

 

He kissed me and carried me bridal style back to the house. Our lips never left each other’s skin as he walked into the bedroom. He let go of my legs so that I slowly slid down his body before my legs touched the ground. 

 

He shrugged his jacket off and tossed it aside before capturing my lips in another kiss. I ran my hands down his chest and then began to unbutton his shirt, exposing more and more skin. I felt him reach for the metal zipper and he tugged it down ever so slowly until the dress pooled over my feet. I pulled his shirt off from him as he unhooked my bustier and tossed that aside. His hands caressed my back as he held me tight.

 

“You were so fuckin’ beautiful this morning. I’m so fuckin’ lucky to have you in my life,” he whispered in between kissing my shoulders. 

 

“Mmm, you were devilishly handsome and so sexy,” I murmured as I ran my fingers under the waistband of his pants before slowly undoing them. 

 

“Isabella,” Jasper hissed as I reached around, squeezed his ass and pulled him against me. 

 

Our hands continued to caress each other as we removed the rest of our clothing. Our lips never left each others’ bodies and the only sounds were whispered gasps and heavy breathing. Jasper lifted me up and climbed onto the bed before lowering us down.

 

He stared into my eyes and brushed his hand down my hair. “I love you, Isabella Whitlock. Forever.” 

 

We were almost human-like in our slow movements. Each caress, each brush of our lips against skin and each whispered moan was tender, unhurried and full of emotion. Our love wove around us as he slid into me. We stared into each other’s eyes as our hips rocked against each other. Passion ignited quickly as our soft moans became growls. Our nails raked over each other’s skin and the need exploded between us. Caresses became fistfuls of hair. Tender kisses became a crashing of lips and a timeless power struggle of our tongues. That ache and need began to coil deep within me as we rolled over and I grabbed onto the headboard for leverage, leaving splinters in my wake. 

 

“Fuck yes, ride me, Isabella,” he gritted through clenched teeth as pieces of our headboard crackled under my hands. 

 

I moved faster and growled as his fingers dug into my skin, the sounds masking the groan of the bed springs that were threatening to break apart. 

 

“Yes! Oh fuck!” I moaned, and arched my back so my hair dragged around Jasper’s legs. “So close!” 

 

He suddenly pulled himself up so we were sitting close, our foreheads touching as we slowed down the pace but our passion didn’t subside. Our breaths moved in time with our bodies. 

 

“Jasper! Fuck Jasper!” I screamed out, shaking the glass as he roared out my name in response as he fell back onto the bed and pulled me to him. Our unnecessary breaths gradually slowed down.

 

A few minutes later, I lifted my head up to look into my husband’s eyes and started to giggle as I saw the aftermath of our fun. 

 

“Do you know, this is the first time we’ve ever done it on a bed?” I remarked in mock horror. 

 

Jasper sat up and pulled me to his lap. “Yeah and we fuckin’ broke it too,” he said with a chuckle. “I guess there is a reason why, my naughty wife.” 

 

I smiled. “I never thought I’d hear those words describe me, but you know what? I love it,” I said and reached down to grab his hand, looking at our wedding bands. 

 

Jasper saw what I was doing and kissed my hair. “Darlin’, remember when I said the only thing I had of my human life is my last name?” He asked and looked at me as I nodded. “Your ring once belonged to my niece, from a sister I never knew about. Peter managed to get a snapshot of this and find it at a recent estate sale.” 

 

“Really?” I exclaimed and really looked at it for the first time. It was a simple and delicate looking band but knowing it was something from Jasper’s family made it so much more meaningful. “It’s beautiful, thank you.” 

 

“My pleasure, I’m glad you like it. He also bought the family bible at the same sale but I haven’t gotten the nerve yet to actually look at it.”

 

“Hey,” I said as I reached up to caress his face. “You and me, we’ll do it together if you want.” 

 

“I’ll take you up on that,” he responded. “Now, tell me about the ring you gave me. I caught the words you used durin’ the ceremony, but I’m curious,” he murmured against my neck. 

 

I brought his hand up and kissed his palm. “You mean other than it says ‘My Cowboy’ inside?” I said and smiled and he kissed me as I felt his appreciation. “Remember the bottle of Bella Blood you had before our battle?” I began and he nodded. “Well, when I found out Heidi was coming, I knew right then what ring I was getting you. And thanks to Peter, I was able to get your ring size after our drag race.” He shot me some confusion so I continued while still playing with his hand. “There were a few drops of blood still in the bottle which I managed to put into a vial and I gave that to Heidi. Remember the jeweler in Florence and how he takes care of the Volturi? Well, he is able to make a special wax mold of a ring design. Part of the wax’s component was the blood.” I looked into Jasper’s eyes to see if he understood what I was saying. 

 

He gasped. “You mean when the liquid metal touched the wax that had your blood, the metal therefore touched your human blood? That is absolutely beautiful. How did you know about that?” he asked as he stared at his ring again. 

 

“I had heard about it when I was at Volterra. It isn’t often that the blood of our spouses or mates are used, but rather a vial of blood is used to make both rings to symbolize the bond. It occurred to me that I should have something special made for you so the opportunity came and I took it. I smiled and kissed him on the lips. “For the most part, it is more of a symbolic thing because the wax evaporates when the liquid metal is poured but the meaning is there; we’re bound in blood.” 

 


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here you go, the epilogue. Thank you for following the story and all the R&Rs – I really appreciate it. 
> 
> HeavyInfinity – Thank you for working on this story. I hope I didn’t take too much of your time with this story.
> 
> JaspersWoman – She is a great pre-reader though she was threatening to run off with the last 2 chapters because the story was ending. 
> 
> DarkNNerdy – She encouraged me to write this story and I appreciate it. Also, many of the songs that were in this story were ones she had sent me. 
> 
> All these women ROCK!
> 
> As always, I am not SM. I just liked to have some fun with Jasper and Bella.

**EPILOGUE**

 

_**SONGS:** _

_**Josh Turner – I Wouldn’t Be a Man** _

_**Josh Turner – Would You Go with Me** _

 

**JPOV**

 

_**Five Years Later** _

 

Isabella was in the War Room as I finished puttin’ together a surprise for her. I know she’d been trying to make a decision regarding the Volturi for a while but she had told me that she wanted to let them know today what her final decision was. She had told me that she really wanted to make this decision on her own and only asked me questions regardin’ what it actually meant to be a consultant for the Volturi. I also reminded her once again that what-ever decision she made, I’d support her no matter what. 

 

“Jasper, can you come in?” Isabella called out from the War Room. 

 

“Sure, give me a sec,” I replied. I put the tools away back down in the garage before headin’ back up to the War Room. 

 

“Darlin’?” I said as I wrapped my arms around her. I swept her hair to the side and planted kisses along her neck. I felt her apprehension as she picked up the phone. “You alright?” 

 

“I am going to call the Kings right now,” she announced and I picked her up and set her on my lap. 

 

She put her arms around me and kissed me. “Stay with me while I make the phone call?” 

 

I lifted her chin up and looked into her eyes. “Isabella, I’ll always be here with you, you know that,” I said, smiling gently as I sent her some of her comfort cocktail to her. 

 

“I know, you know me,” she said and smiled sheepishly before takin’ a deep sigh. “Okay, let’s do this.” 

 

I nuzzled her neck as she dialed the number and then greeted Carina over the phone. After a minute on hold, she was finally patched through. 

 

“Isabella, how nice of you to call. To what do we owe the pleasure?” Aro greeted. 

 

“Your majesty, I’ve reached a decision,” Isabella began and I wrapped my arms around her tighter as her apprehension grew. 

 

“Hold on, let me get the brothers. Would you like to conduct this over video?” Aro asked. 

 

She nodded. “Sure, I’ve got Jasper here with me.” 

 

I helped her switch the call over to the video screen and a few minutes later, the images of three grinning kings appeared over the computer and we greeted them. 

 

“Isabella. Jasper. It is a pleasure to see you again, I hope you’re both well,” Caius said. “We hear you have reached a decision.” 

 

“Yes, I have,” she said and she squeezed my hand for reassurance as I continued to send her the Isabella Cocktail. “I’ve decided that I’d like to continue working for the Volturi, but it will be on a freelance basis,” she said quickly. 

 

The kings nodded and I could see that they didn’t look surprised by her announcement. I had a feelin’ they weren’t gonna be, given their words to her over five years ago. I knew they wanted us to be aligned to them in some way and any continued allegiance would be welcomed. 

 

“We weren’t surprised by your decision,” Marcus said and chuckled. “To be honest with you both, we at one time thought about putting together a betting pool on your decision but we figured the odds were you’d join your husband in his ventures and it wouldn’t be as fun.” 

 

All of us laughed at Marcus’ comment and I could feel that Isabella was much more relieved now. 

 

Aro shook his head. “Seriously though,” he said. “The Volturi are pleased with your decision. While we’d like for you to continue working for the Elite Guard, we expected your answer. Thank you for all you’ve done and for making the decision to become a consultant. We are all looking forward to a continued working relationship with the two of you.”

 

“Yes,” Caius said, “Your partnership has been valued over the past years. We look forward to many more years of a continuing association.” 

 

“Thank you. I still wanted to serve the Volturi in some way and thought this was the best decision for the two of us,” she said and I sent her some pride along with my continued dose of the Isabella Cocktail. 

 

“Well, we figured even if you decided to take a break from freelancing, and we’re glad the two of you decided not to, that you’d continue doing business with us,” Marcus said and winked. “How is your brother enjoying being a nightclub owner out in Texas?”

 

I laughed. A year ago, Peter and Char decided to invest in a nightclub that was modeled after The Devil’s Playground in Italy. He searched high and low for the perfect spot and settled for a club in Austin’s Sixth Street area, a section in downtown that was full of bars and other drinkin’ establishments. Instead of an exact replica of The Devil’s Playground, ‘Full Throttle’ was born after a few debates about the name. It was a partnership between the four of us Whitlocks, with a percentage of the ownership goin’ to the Volturi. 

 

“He says it is one of the hottest clubs right now,” I said and laughed. “They were a highlight durin’ the Republic of Texas Bike Rally last month and with the debauchery goin’ on from the bikers, it provided us with meals. Isabella invited Heidi and Jane out for the festivities and they had a fun time that weekend.” 

 

Aro laughed. “Oh, we heard about it, but we don’t normally feed in that manner, otherwise we’d come out and see for ourselves. Gerard has shown us the books and we’re impressed with the amount of business the club is generating. He also mentioned that there is talk of another venture, perhaps in Vegas? If that is the case, we might make an appearance. I think the queens would enjoy a trip there too while we play Baccarat. Thank you once again and please convey our appreciation to your bother regarding our new business venture.” 

 

“We will. We’ll be drivin’ out and should be there in the next day or so. We’ll let them know,” I said with a smile. “We’re plannin’ to be there for about a month but we can come back if needed, as always.”

 

“We trust you,” Caius said. “We never worry with the two of you in charge.” 

 

“Thank you, your majesties,” Isabella replied. “We won’t let you down.” 

 

“We know. Like my brother said, we never worry with the two of you,” Marcus said. “We will be able to send Serena and a small team back in a week or so. We’re nearly done training a new ops team that will take over Russia in a few days and after some initial training, they’ll be on their own. Serena and Diego are looking forward to their return to warmer climate.” 

 

The situation in Russia had gotten progressively worse the past few years with their mob situation creepin’ into Mongolia. Serena’s team was split the year after Isabella and I got married; half of them relocated to Vladivostok and the others stayed here. Then two years ago, the rest of the ops team had to move to the Russian seaport in order to monitor both the Western Hemisphere as well as Russia. 

 

“Come out to see us soon, Whitlocks,” Aro said. “You have a good holiday and feel free to contact us anytime.” 

 

With that, the call ended. 

 

Isabella breathed a sigh of relief and turned around wrappin’ her arms around me once again. “That was a lot easier than I thought.” She ran her nose along my neck, breathin’ in my scent. “I love you.”

 

I stood up and her legs automatically went around my waist. “I love you, my sexy wife,” I said and smacked her on the ass. 

 

She laughed and snuggled up against me. “So what were you doing outside?”

 

“I have somethin’ for you,” I said and brushed her hair back. “Close your eyes, darlin’, the surprise is outside.” 

 

She closed her eyes and tucked herself closer to me as I walked us outside. I set her back down on her feet. “Okay, now open,” I murmured and watched as she turned around and looked.

 

“Jasper!” she exclaimed. “This is beautiful! You built a porch out here!” She was giddy as she sat down on the swing and patted the spot next to her.

 

I grinned as I sat down next to her and she curled up against me. “I love this, thank you Jasper.” I closed my eyes as her love washed over me. “I love how we can sit out here, overlooking the mountain and enjoy now.” 

 

“I always wanted to have a porch out here but our skin made it near impossible to enjoy the sunnier days,” I said. “Now with our adjusted diet, it works and I can share sunny days with you.” 

 

A few years ago, Alec and Renata finally came up with a viable and tasty version of synthetic blood to supplement our diet. It tasted almost like the real thing and we were sent a case of it to try it out. After a couple bags of the stuff, we noticed that we sparkled less in sunlight. Through more testin’, we were able to discover that was the only side effect from it. Our skin still remained icy cold to humans, our strength never lessened. Everything else remained the same other than the sparkles, which was fuckin’ fine by me. As we continued to drink the synthetic blood, the sparkles got less and less until we were able to wander around the streets in sunny days, so long as we continued to hide our crimson eyes from humans. We still continued to drink warm blood off of humans, there was just no comparison to that sensation, but we had taken to huntin’ them out less frequently since we were supplementing. Whereas we used to go every 5 days, we were currently goin’ about every 8. 

 

We sat there for a while, soakin’ up the sun’s rays. I went back into the house a couple times to get a pitcher of the synthetic blood for us to enjoy the serenity of the outdoors. 

 

In the five years we’ve been married, I had never been happier. I knew from her emotions that Isabella was as well. Our missions were much lighter after the whole Phoenix case and that gave us the time to travel. It was amazin’ going into distant and ancient lands such as Cairo and Jordan. We would soak up the sounds during the day at the local marketplace and then sneak into the ancient sites in the middle of the night. 

 

I had always wanted to do somethin’ like that, but never had anybody in my life to share experiences like that with, until Isabella. My woman had the time of her life as she put on her ninja gear and we snuck into the Great Pyramid of Giza. We slid down ancient tunnels and crevices before getting to the actual tomb area. There wasn’t anything there anymore due to raiders from eons ago but it was still an amazin’ thing to be in something that was made so long ago. We did the same thing a year later, visiting the ancient city of Petra. Sneakin’ in and climbing the ancient ruins was fun as we spent a few hours explorin’. 

 

“I think next year, we should go into China and run along the Great Wall,” she mused as she laced her hand with mine. 

 

“That sounds fun, babe. I’d like that,” I said and kissed her lips. I meant it too. Trips were no longer geared more towards shopping like they used to way back when, but rather, they were full of adventure and fun. “You ready to head up to Texas?” 

 

“Yeah, I can’t wait to visit the club again,” she said and laughed. “I’m so glad he didn’t use any of those rodeo themed names he wanted to. I liked that he went with your name, ‘Full Throttle’.”

I laughed as I thought back to the debates we all had over the name before comin’ up with the final result. Peter of course wanted somethin’ suggestive and thought a rodeo theme would work but the rest of us, and I was surprised Char agreed with our reasons, thought it might have been a little overplayed and too cliché. I thought with the motorcycle rallies and the introduction of Formula 1 in Austin, the speed theme would work better and stand out more amongst the various clubs around. It had taken a few days of debatin’ but he finally conceded. Within months, though, the club became a hot spot and a place to be seen. We had a separate set of tunnels built in the back that allowed us vampires to feed discreetly if we wanted to and if we couldn’t find meals at the club, there were vagrants nearby that gave us meals if we needed. 

 

“It fits and I did tell him, if he wanted a rodeo theme club, maybe somewhere like Vegas would be a good place to put that,” I said. 

 

“A rodeo theme club in Vegas is certain to be a hit. We should definitely talk about it when we get there,” Isabella said and got up. “Come on, cowboy.” She took my hands and pulled me up to her. “Let’s get the show on the road.” 

 

I picked her up and tossed her over my shoulder, causin’ her to laugh uncontrollably. “I’ve already packed our bags, includin’ our container of blood. I also brought the guitars so we could play under the stars at night.”

 

“Sounds good to me,” she said and smacked me on the ass. 

 

We headed out the courtyard and down to the garage as I opened the door to the Camaro she got me for our weddin’ anniversary. It was a restored silver 1969 Camaro Z28 but with a lot of modern comforts in the interior. She even had a bench seat made on the front so we could sit close together. I was more than surprised when Peter and Char came down with the Shelby and the Camaro, racin’ up the mountain path. Isabella confided to me later that night that she conspired with Peter to find the car and get it restored without me knowin’. The look of joy on her face... I was fuckin’ glad that I could recall that moment over and over again. 

 

I started the motor and listened to the guttural engine roar to life. I began to reflect back on the past few years. Never in my long life had I found such happiness and completion as I did when I saw Isabella that fateful night at the villa. It was hard for me to accept it at first because it seemed too easy but then I began to realize she was somethin’ really special. I finally found the peace in my life that I had longed for; Isabella. The peace I had sought was from a piece of me that had been missing. 

 

The restlessness of my demon finally calmed as he met her demon. We still allow them to run around on occasion and that sometimes meant we had to redo the courtyard or somethin’. Durin’ our third year together, we were sent over to Russia to help Demetri and Gianna tamp down some mob battle that had gotten out of control. We let our demons play that night and ended up rollin’ around in some Russian mob blood before we sported new bite marks from each other. 

 

I chuckled as I headed out to the main road that lead north. Isabella sat close to me and we got lost in our word as we headed towards Mexico. 

 

“What’s funny?” Isabella asked and started to play with the buttons on my shirt. 

 

I explained that I was just reminiscin’ about the past five years together and the fun we have had. I sent her my appreciation and love as she beamed over some of the memories. Her love always stayed true no matter what; even with her demon out, I always felt the steady stream of love comin’ from her. 

 

“I fucking love you, Jasper Whitlock, now open her up,” Isabella said and grinned as I pressed the accelerator and sped the car up.

 

“And I fuckin’ love you, Isabella Whitlock,” I said and pulled her closer to me. “Forever.”

 


End file.
